Last night I was refereeing a high-level U16 Boys club match in Saratoga Springs, NY. The home team went on to win by a score of 5 - 1, but that's not important.

I mention this match because like most others, there were some heated words exchanged occasionally throughout the match. It's the kind of thing that, if it isn't dealt with early, could fester and grow as the match progresses. The infamous Zidane headbutt to Materazzi's chest is likely a result of such unsporting behavior.

So when I heard a defender tell an opposing striker to "get up you pussy" after the attacker was stripped of the ball and ended up on the ground, I took note. I let the counter-attack continue, but when it died with the ball in the goalie's arms at the other end of the pitch, I blew my whistle to stop play, which I'm sure was a surprise to most everyone in attendance.

I then walked over to the defender-cum-provocateur and showed him a yellow card, explaining that "this is for what you said a minute ago." He seemed to be aware of his guilt and didn't bother arguing. When one his teammates asked why I took the action I did, I simply told him "he knows why." And then I added, "it's because of crap like that that Zidane didn't get to finish his career properly."

Sure, Zidane should've risen above the insults without lashing out at Materazzi the way he did. But as FIFA have adjudicated, Materazzi was deemed guilty of foul and abusive language - a sending off offense that precipitated Zidane's moment of madness. As a result, he will be suspended from the Italy's next two international matches. And to a certain extent, it vindicates but does not completely exonerate Zidane's violence (who was suspended for three matches, although he's announced his retirement).

But maybe something positive really can come from this whole ugly situation. Perhaps it will give players pause to think about their behavior on the pitch in the hope that they will not sink to the level of Materazzi and his ilk. If, however, players prove to be incapable of changing their unsporting ways, it is up to us as referees to nip the problem in the bud before things escalate. And that's exactly what I was doing last night.

One of the many people who appreciated my unbiased perspective on this year's World Cup matches recently emailed me to ask if I thought that Germany 2006 could be deemed a success. I've had a few days to think about things and I must say, my opinion is pretty mixed.

First of all, how does one really measure 'success'? Because if we're merely talking about raw numbers - global viewership, gross receipts, advertising revenue, etc. - I suppose it could be argued that the tournament was a great success.

However, if we're talking instead about more subjective things like 'were the games exciting?', 'did FIFA's directives to officials reduce foul play and moments of controversy?', 'were new fans attracted to the game of football?', and 'has FIFA's commitment to fair play and the elimination of racism taken root on the field and elsewhere?', I would say that results are probably quite mixed.

But to keep things within the realm of referees, the rules they enforce, and the fair play that they are commissioned to promote, I would argue that it's probably time for FIFA to consider making some radical changes if they have any hope of ensuring that football is now and forever more known as 'the beautiful game'.

At times throughout the tournament, the scenes on the pitch were anything but beautiful - and I'm not only talking about Zizou's reaction to Materazzi's shit-talking or the free-for-all that we witnessed when Portugal defeated Holland. I'm also talking about great players like Andriy Shevchenko - who deliberately tripped himself in order to win a penalty kick that he did not deserve. And I'm talking about controversially-awarded penalties like the one that Italy was awarded in the dying moments of their match against Australia (a call that I agreed with). And let's not forget about Adriano's goal when he appeared to be offside against Ghana. Or the French goal that never was against Korea.

The list could go on and on, but I think you see what I'm getting at.

The point is that when game-breaking decisions are on the line, it might be worth taking a second look so that we can be as sure as possible that we get it right. People who are afraid of video replay technology because they think it will slow the game down need to realize that the game already has plenty of stoppages. That's why we have stoppage time. Plus, if we take the time to review close calls, at least we'll be comforted with the knowledge that every effort was made to ensure that the decision was correct in the end.

And if each team only has a limited number of times that they can ask for a video review - perhaps three or four per game - it shouldn't really slow things down that much.

Now, for those of you who don't like that idea, then maybe you'll like this instead - adding a second official to the pitch while still utilizing the two ARs for their existing duties as well. This could perhaps cut down on simulation and other deceptive tactics (including trash-talking) since there will always be a trail and a lead official. A potential down-side to this system is that it could lead to disagreement between the referees as their styles and tolerance for physical play might not be exactly the same. But perhaps it's still worth exploring.

However, another modification I'd like to see happen at the highest levels of the game would be the introduction of post-match reviews by league officials to investigate actions which might not have been observed during the regular course of play. This might not be quite as necessary if video replays are used by officials during the match, however, it could still be useful in some circumstances.

On another front, and maybe I'm biased here, but until the announcers' booths include people who REALLY know the rules of the game (i.e. people who've read the rule book and actually know how the rules are applied...which I guess might only be referees and the most astute students of the game), our sport will suffer. Because many viewers actually believe the sportscasters have an intimate knowledge of the rules - either because they use to be players themselves as is the case with Marcelo Balboa, Eric Wynalda, and Alexi Lalas, or because they have interesting European accents in the case of Tommy Smyth, or because they happen to have a mirophone in the case of baseball-cum-soccer analyst Dave O'Brien - it's vitally important that they actually understand what is happening on the field when the referee makes a decision. And having watched almost every game of the tournament, I was completely blown away how confused and/or flat out wrong the announcers were in explaining the rules to the viewers.

And frankly, having read about the match commentary and post-game opinions from other countries, I'm not entirely convinced that this is solely an American phenomenon. In fact, it seems that no matter where you go, there seems to be a great misunderstanding about the rules of the game and the decisions of the referee. And unfortunately, I think this lack of understanding leads to the xenophobic, hate-filled, venomous bile expressed by countless people on this website and elsewhere.

"The Italians are all cheaters and killed Jesus", "Cristiano Ronaldo caused England's loss and the Portuguese are all a bunch of divers", "The referees are all biased and a bunch of idiots", "The Americans got screwed"...and the list could go on and on with much uglier language of course.

The bottom line is this people - football or soccer or whatever the hell we call it is JUST A GAME. Nothing more, nothing less. The fact that Italy beat France means very little in the grand scheme of things. So enjoy the month-long diversion from reality while it's going on and learn to root for everyone in the hopes that maybe we'll all actually see a beautiful game.

Because all too frequently, we've seen unattractive, cynical games expounded upon by people who seem to have forgotten what this whole grand experiment is supposed to be about - BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER.

For quite a few years now I've held the belief that football actually holds the key to uniting the people of our planet. And while this might be true symbolically, it appears that too many of us don't understand this...and it's hurting the game.

I don't really know what the answer is. Maybe there isn't one.

It's quite possible that human beings are not evolved enough to accept the relative meaninglessness of this tournament in comparison to issues of much greater importance - like poverty, famine, disease, environmental well-being, human rights, promoting peace, etc. But if each one of us cared about our fellow man and the issues previously listed nearly as much as we care about the relavitely banal game of football, the world would be a much better place.

I applaud FIFA's efforts to 'Say No to Racism'. It's a step in the right direction. But now it's up to you and me and the rest of us to take that message and build upon it.

Enjoy the beautiful game of football. Be passionate about it, but keep the ugliness out. We must all learn to band together both on the pitch and beyond. There can be no other alternative.

Good luck out there...and do what you can to make a positive impact in our troubled world.

Clearly, it wasn't supposed to end this way. Sure it would've been a fairy tale ending to an illustrious career if Zizou could've carried Les Bleus to victory, but who could've predicted a scenario as ugly and shameful as this. Sent off in the 110th minute of the match for an outrageously stupid headbutt to the chest of Italian defender Marco Materazzi, Zinedine Zidane wasn't even on the pitch with his team to collect his runner-up medal after the Italians claimed football's ultimate prize.

It will continue to be debated as to which one of the officials saw this act of violence - Elizondo, his near-side Assistant, the fourth, or perhaps even the fifth official - but to me it's irrelevant. We ALL saw it. Nearly two billion of us. And for a man who many of us consider to be heroic in his sporting elegance and class, Zidane got what he deserved.

Maybe Materazzi deserved what he got too. We'll probably never know what words were exchanged by the two players, but we'll never forget Zidane's reaction. And although there is some speculation that video replay was used to send off the French captain, the fact remains that he did what he did and was ultimately properly punished for his inexcusable actions.

Who knows, maybe this and many other controversial incidents will force FIFA's hand to allow for the introduction of such technology to be employed on a very limited basis when tv replays are available. Perhaps by doing so it will eliminate much of the gamesmanship and controversy that often seems to surround virtually every football match.

Now, rather than dissect this match as I've done for so many throughout the tournament, I'd like to congratulate all of the referees and their assistants throughout the sixty-four game tournament. While some seemed more capable than others on any given day, each team of three was chosen from amongst the top referees in the world and all were eminently capable and qualified to be there. Sure, Ivanov will always be remembered as the guy who issued more cards than any other referee in a World Cup match, but his long and illustrious career likely includes hundreds if not thousands of other matches in which he has performed admirably (along with the teams).

Likewise, Uruguay's much-criticized (by the American press primarily) Jorge Larrionda proved himself to be a referee of the highest quality and not a "quick draw McGraw" (as Marcelo Balboa called him) in matches when the players' actions didn't warrant strict punishment.

Sure, it's always quite easy to blame the referee for poor decisions that affect the outcome of a game. But until the human factor is replaced by the precision accuracy of robots and machines, judgment calls will always come under scrutiny. And perhaps that's yet another argument for limited use of replay technology when game-breaking decisions are made by referees. Maybe then we will be able to move just a little closer towards the perfection that we've all come to expect from people who must make split-second decisions hundreds of times throughout a ninety-minute match.

In real-time, it seemed absolutely undeniable that Materazzi had clipped Malouda in the penalty area in the 6th minute of the match. On replay, however, it was really difficult to tell. So just imagine trying to make that call when you only have one opportunity to get it right and it happens in a flash. I never was able to know for sure if Materazzi had gotten a piece of him or merely forced Malouda off the ball by angling into his path. But the point is this, Materazzi put himself in a position where the referee was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. By coming in recklessly and not playing the ball at all, whether or not he even made contact with Malouda is almost irrelevant. My guess is that even if replay technology were employed in this case that the penalty would still have been upheld. But again, I'm sure many of you will choose to disagree...and maybe that's something we love about sport anyway - the controversy.

For me, Elizondo and his crew deserve plaudits not just for this match, but for the other four they officiated throughout the tournament as well. He proved himself to be an excellent communicator, in peak fitness, and someone who possesses the highest level of understanding of the game and its laws, including how they are to be applied.

It should be noted that before sending Zidane off in the 110th minute, Elizondo had only cautioned three other players - two of which occurred in the first twelve minutes of the match for reckless challenges and the third to Diarra in the 76th for dissent. The players came to play and Elizondo allowed this. Did I agree with every one of his decisions or non-decisions? Nope. But in the end, he proved that FIFA had made a wise decision to select him for a match with such gravity.

And likewise, the little-known (prior to the tournament) Toru Kamikawa, showed that FIFA had rewarded the Japanese ref for a job well done throughout his matches in Germany. Perhaps Germany's 3 - 1 victory over Portugal in the third-place match will not be the last time we see him in a World Cup. If he's young enough and maintains his fitness for the next four years, maybe we'll see him in South Africa. And if he continues to show his command for the game, he might get his opporunity to work the final for years from now.

Finally, I want to thank Sean and Chris - the guys who created this website - for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on the games. In a world where everyone cares passionately about the success of their team, I felt it was important to show a different perspective than what we might be used to. Because there is and will probably always continue to be a great deal of misunderstanding about the decisions and thinking behind the decisions that referees make, I wanted to help you, the football enthusiast, gain some insight into how a referee thinks, works, and metes judgment on the pitch.

I greatly appreciate all of you who've taken the time to read my posts and hope they have been of some value to you as well as providing you a modicum of entertainment too. For those of you who took the time to comment on my opinions, I thank very much for your thoughts whether you agreed with me or not. I simply enjoyed the 'discussion' and debate.

I apologize for not being able to always reply to every comment, however, as many of you know, I did take the time to provide lengthy responses to your questions when I had the time and/or inclination. Keeping up with the games, writing about them, and refereeing games in the evenings and on the weekends was an incredible challenge and not one that my girlfriend particularly enjoyed as it left very little time for the two of us. But now that Italy has lifted its fourth Jules Rimet trophy, maybe it's time for us to return to living our normal lives once again.

It's been my honor and pleasure to share this past month with you, and hopefully, we'll have the opportunity to continue in some fashion in the future. Sean and Chris will likely be keeping me around to write for them and I look forward to providing you with more views from the middle in the months and years ahead.

FIFA has made their choice for the Final in Berlin. Argentina's Horacio Elizondo will be the man to ensure fair play when Italy and France kick off at 9pm at the Olympiastadion on Sunday. It's a decision that I support as Elizondo and his crew have proven to be top-notch throughout the tournament.

Before the tournament began I thought that Germany's own Markus Merk would be there if the host country failed to make it to the finals, but after several mediocre performances in which he demonstrated himself to be overly-controlling in my opinion, FIFA has selected the South American-based crew.

Now, I haven't agreed with every single one of Elizondo's decisions, but for the most part, he has allowed the games to flow while still maintaining the control that is necessary for players and spectators alike.

For me, as someone who has dissected and often defended the referees' performances throughout most of the previous sixty-two matches, I feel somewhat vindicated. When I earlier suggested that Elizondo might be one of the candidates being considered for this match, one person commented how little I know about World Cup history since the referee who officiated the opening match is rarely if ever chosen to work the final. Clearly, this factoid (if it's even true) is irrelevant to FIFA as their primary consideration must be to ensure that the best team of officials is chosen for the task.

But perhaps even more relevant, it is further proof, if you will, that Elizondo and his Assistant properly handled the highly controversial second goal in Switzerland's 2 - nil result over Korea. Many people commented that they made an utter hash of this after I had explained in great detail that their decision was ultimately correct to allow the goal even though the Assistant's flag had been raised for a moment. To the American viewing audience who were completely misled on this by announcer Tommy Smyth, perhaps they'll never fully understand why Elizondo and his Assistant were correct on this decision, but I suppose that's why referees and not commentators and/or soccer enthusiasts are chosen to officiate soccer matches.

It's true, I have for the most part defended the referees at this tournament, however, I have also been critical when I believed it was merited. Too many people who don't really know what they're talking about love to taint the game with their own misconceptions about how the rules are to be interpreted. Critics will always exist as long as judgement and human error come into play. But for me, Elizondo and the vast majority of his colleagues have done an excellent job at this year's World Cup in Germany.

Were mistakes made? You bet! Were games decided, perhaps, by calls that were either incorrect or that YOU disagreed with? Quite possibly. But I suppose the only way to ever completely rid the game of such errors is to not play the games at all. And I think that's something that none of us would like to contemplate.

It should also be mentioned that Japanese referee Toru Kamikawa has been rewarded for an excellent tournament by being selected to officiate the third-place match between Germany and Portugal. Congratulations to him and to ALL of the refereeing crews who worked this year's World Cup Finals. As someone who will never even come close to what they have achieved, I am somewhat familiar with the incredible sacrifice and dedication that they have given to this game. And just knowing that you are included amongst the best in the world is an honor that few, if any, of us will ever achieve in ANYTHING throughout our lives.

Ten of the starting twenty-two players in tonight’s France-Portugal semifinal in Munich were sitting on a yellow card prior to the match. With Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda in the middle, I was wondering how many of them would be facing suspension by the time the match was over. Judging by Larrionda’s previous performances as well as that of the teams, it seemed likely that several starters might be forced to become spectators for their next match – the championship or third-place game depending on the outcome.

So let’s jump into the action and see how Larrionda and the teams fared. But before doing so, I’d like to give a special shout-out to ESPN announcer Marcelo Balboa and all of the American conspiracy theorists who think that this ref had it in for the U.S. in their 1-all draw with Italy. Clearly, FIFA disagreed with that biased assessment, not only by assigning Larrionda to a couple of matches in the knockout rounds (including one of only two semifinals), but they also suspended Pablo Mastroeni for three weeks as a result of how recklessly dangerous his red card offense was against Italian playmaker Andrea Pirlo.

But enough of that, how’d Larrionda do in THIS match.

In only the first minute of action, Malouda was through to goal, but a defender caught up with him and forced the Frenchman’s effort to go wide. And for the next several minutes, it was all France. Portugal would then take things back the other way and Deco would force Barthez to make a tough save.

A few minutes later I noted how surprising it was that there hadn’t been any fouls and that the teams clearly came to play. Moments later, in the 7th minute, France would win a corner. That amounted to nothing and then in the following minute Ribery was tracking a ball down but ended up on the deck after a bit of contact. No foul was called and rightly so as the ball went out for a goal kick.

Maniche cracked one just over the bar in the 9th minute after Ronaldo no-looked it back to him about thirty yards from goal. In the following minute, the first foul of the match would be called – it wasn’t all that much really – when Henry went down near midfield. I’m thinking that this probably set a record at this tournament for the longest stretch to start a game without a whistle for a foul.

Shortly thereafter Portugal had a call comin’ back out of defense. There was a lot of midfield play for a while and then France had an excellent opportunity, but Henry couldn’t latch onto a cross sent along the ground across the face of goal. But they were able to win a corner. However, a push in the back ended that threat though.

In the 16th, Figo took a crack at goal from twenty-five and then connected with Patrick Vieira on the follow-through. The Portuguese midfielder stayed on the turf and was eventually stretchered off, but it wasn’t a foul and Figo was back on a minute or two later.

More midfield action and then Abidal was called for going over the back in the 21st. It wasn’t the most high intensity match at this point, more like long-distance runners setting a slow pace. And then in the 26th, Deco won a call I thought he really didn’t deserve…and neither did Claude Makelele. Sure I was rooting for Zidane and Les Bleus, but I try to be objective in my analysis of the action. Just like when I’m refereeing a match.

A minute later, Zidane wanted a call as he was in the attacking third of the pitch, but I thought Larrionda made the right decision not to blow his whistle. However, Vieira definitely was guilty going back the other way even though he suggested that it was perhaps a dive by his opponent.

In the 28th, Henry did well to beat Miguel with a couple of fakes and shimmies, but he was unable to pick out one of his teammates in the middle. Going back the other way Cristiano Ronaldo won a call he really didn’t seem to deserve, but the AR called that one and Larrionda went with his decision.

And now we come to the game’s point of controversy. Did Carvalho trip Henry or not in the penalty box? Larrionda was emphatic in pointing to the spot upon blowing his whistle. And I have to say that after seeing the replay it was clear that the Portuguese defender did catch Henry’s ankle. And while it might not necessarily have seemed like much to the average viewer at home, it was very likely enough to stop his progress and knock him off balance. And while I don’t doubt that Henry may have “helped” the referee to make this decision, I believe that the penalty was the correct call.

And who stepped up to the mark to do what only one of four Englishmen was able to do against Ricardo in the shootout at the end of their quarterfinal match a few days ago? Zinedine Zidane. And just like he did so well against the English, Ricardo guessed the right way, to his right. But Zidane was perfect, cracking it into the side netting to give France the opening lead in the 33rd minute.

Barthez snagged a cross in the 35th and then a minute later stopped a thirty-five yard shot. On the next play a Portuguese player was down in the box on a cross. Was it a dive? Was it a shove? Or was the player just going for the ball? Well on replay it appeared that it was nothing more than Ronaldo diving to reach the ball with his head. It was a lame attempt really and maybe that’s why a couple of his teammates raised their hands in protest, but in the end, Larrionda got it right…no foul, no simulation…just a missed opportunity.

On the next play Ronaldo did well to win a corner. On the kick, there didn’t seem to be any infraction by the Portuguese strikers, but Larrionda called a foul for some contact on Barthez. It made no difference really as he had won the ball anyway.

France on the attack now and Ribery wriggled between a couple of defenders near the touchline. As he broke free, one of them seemed to stick a leg out as the Frenchman ran by. No call from the AR and nothin’ from Larrionda, but a few seconds later he’d award the French a kick at midfield.

Zidane was “fantastiche” (this according to our German kommentator) in the 42nd, but Figo put a stop to his former Real Madrid teammate’s progress and got whistled for it as well. Another call went France’s way, but then it was Henry with a little touch foul in the Portuguese defense to end the attack.

Ribery was fouled by Nuno Valente with an arm to the back of his head on an aerial ball, but a minute later the rising young French superstar was done an injustice when he got knocked in the back.

In stoppage time Portugal mounted an attack of their own and took a shot that hammered Vieira, just a few yards from the shooter. The Portuguese wanted a call for handling the ball, but no referee would ever give that as it was without question NOT deliberate and Vieira’s arm was not extended away from his body.

As the halftime whistle blew, I noted that despite the lack of any cards, a number of Larrionda’s decisions did surprise me a little. However, the most important call of the match was one that I believe he got right. No doubt, some will disagree, including a few of the guys who I watched the game with; but the onus was on Carvalho not to make illegal contact with the attacking Henry. And on that point, Carvalho was guilty.

In the 47th minute Figo was rightly called for a foul as he tried to go over Thuram while he was on the ground. You have to go around a player to get to the ball, not over him; and the Portuguese attack would end.

Going back the other way Henry almost beat Ricardo from a tight angle, but the keeper did well to get an arm to the ball just as it was about to slip underneath him and into the goal. Instead, it spun out of play for a French corner. From that, the ball would eventually find its way to Ribery who wheeled and dealed and ripped a shot from twenty-two yards, forcing a tough save by Ricardo once again.

The following minute Henry begged for a call he didn’t deserve, but then the French would win the ball back when Figo was called for the high boot. A few minutes later it was Pauleta’s turn to beat Thuram, turning on him quickly and sending a shot into the side-netting left of the goal.

Ronaldo won a corner a minute later. Nothing. Back the other way Henry won a corner after finding some space down the left touchline on a counter-attack. Nothing for France.

Portugal then won a foul, er actually a throw-in, which confused and annoyed Figo who had some words with the referee. Thuram was then fouled on a French counter, but then the Portuguese turned things around and Miguel beat a couple of defenders before dishing the ball off. As he did so he went to ground and thus, was unable to receive the return pass.

The Portuguese players remonstrated extensively that Miguel had been knocked to the turf, but the replay clearly showed that Larrionda got this one right as the attack-minded defender landed oddly after passing the ball and injured himself on the play. Three minutes later he would leave the game for good, unable to continue.

And before the Chelsea defender Paulo Ferreira entered the match in the 63rd minute to replace his fallen compatriot, Abidal was down for the count for France after taking a stinging cross to the face. It seemed legit as I doubted that he was trying to work some time off the clock.

In the 64th, Barthez snagged a cross and a minute later the ref played the advantage when Figo went down to the turf. The play would end, however, when Pauleta was flagged for being barely offside.

On the next play of the match, Larrionda emphatically said “NO” to Pauleta who clearly wanted a call to go his way. Two minutes later, the Portuguese striker made his exit to make way for Simao Sabrosa. Immediately, he seemed to be obstructed on an attack, but the referee whistled him for a hold; a tough decision I thought.

Then Wiltord came in for Malouda to bring on some fresh legs for the French midfield. Barthez would then collect a cross, however, Portugal, now a little desperate, would soon win a corner.

Still on the attacking end a minute later in the 72nd, Portugal was called for offside, but I think the AR might’ve been a little hasty on his decision as the ‘guilty’ player appeared to have been the one who ran back towards his own goal, thus allowing one of his onside teammates to play the ball that came over the top. But who really knows?

Govou would then come in for Ribery like he did against Brazil. And then two minutes later Portugal was offside once again.

Postiga came in for Costinha in the 75th minute, clearly an offensive move as a striker replaced a defender. On the very next play two Portuguese players went down in the box almost on cue it seemed as the ball passed their way. But Larrionda saw nothing untoward and he was probably right as neither player protested the decision.

But a minute later, in the 77th, Ronaldo did well to trick the referee into giving him a call when he went down without virtually any contact about twenty-five or so yards from goal. The shot was directly at Barthez, but it must’ve been a knuckler because he misplayed it, allowing it to bounce off his body and directly back to a couple of hard-charging Portuguese attackers. But the best that one of them was able to do was to head it over the bar.

In the 78th, Zidane was clipped in the ankle. A couple minutes later Ronaldo went down to ground far too easily in the penalty area and Sagnol rightly yelled at him for trying to unfairly win a call from the referee.

Moments later Thuram DID hold Ronaldo, but the ensuing free kick was easily cleared. Going back the other way, Carvalho was way late AND came in from behind on Henry. The only thing that saved him from being tossed out was that his studs were not showing. And this, folks, was the very first caution of the game – in the 82nd minute.. But it would cost Portugal as it meant that Carvalho would only be a spectator in his team’s next match.

Figo then won a corner that was poorly kicked. Three minutes later, in the 87th, Manchester United striker Louis Saha, who only played a total of about ten or fifteen minutes combined in France’s matches with Brazil and Portugal, received his second booking overall (his first of the night) as he came in a little recklessly from behind. He might have gotten the ball, but he got the man too. As a result, he too would be unable to participate in France’s next match. Maybe David Trezeguet will get some playing time as a result.

France would then win a foul in their defensive third after some nice work by Zizou. Figo would not get the call he wanted in the 89th. And then Zidane was fouled by Nuno Valente as we learned that there would be four minutes of stoppage time.

It was all Portugal in these desperate final moments. They’d win a foul in their own defense and then Meira had a good opportunity from twenty, but the shot was blasted well over the target.

In the next minute a cross was misplayed by Barthez and Portugal would win a corner. Ricardo came up from his goal to join the attack now.

France would knock the ball away, but the Portuguese keeper kept it alive by kicking it back up over his head with his back to the French goal, sending it into the mixer. Figo was able to latch onto it on the left eventually, crossing to the far post, but Barthez ultimately got his hands on it, and as he so often does, made a poor decision.

He played the ball only about twenty yards to a teammate in the middle of traffic. Not much time was left now, but Portugal stole it back and played it through with one last desperate attempt to score…but it was stopped by a flag from the AR. The attacker had clearly mistimed his run. And now, it surely was all over. It would be an all blue final pitting Les Bleus from France vs. Italian Azurri. The French have been dominant in their white tops at the tournament, so watch out if it’s Italy and not France who comes out wearing their blue unis.

Zizou congratulated Larrionda and then traded jerseys with his former teammate and friend, Luis Figo. This is the end of Portugal’s “Golden Generation”. Cristiano Ronaldo will obviously be the heart of his country’s future football glory. Thierry Henry was seen hugging and having a few words with the talented young midfielder. Perhaps he was telling him not to pay attention to the hate-filled garbage in the English media. Hopefully when he steps back on the pitch again at Old Trafford with his teammate Wayne Rooney, life will go on and the English fans can stop blaming him for their country’s failings in Germany.

And in the end, I can’t help but wonder if maybe some of FIFA’s new mandates have finally begun to sink in with the players as most of the quarterfinals and certainly the two semifinals were carried out in a manner befitting of the motto “My game is Fair Play”. Certainly, tonight exemplified that to the maximum extent possible for a match of such gravity. But then again, maybe the players were holding back just a little, perhaps fearful that they’d miss a chance at the final if they were to receive another yellow card. If so, don’t expect the players to worry about such things on Sunday.

And lastly, to all my new friends at WorldCupBlog.org HQ here in Berlin – Sean, Chris, Bob, Nick, Mika, Peter, and Mihai – thanks for a great week. I didn’t have any idea what to expect before I got here, but you’ve all made me feel quite at home. Hopefully, when the World Cup concludes later this week, it will only be beginning of greater things to come.

I spent the day walking around the center of Berlin – along the River Spree and down to the Brandenburg Gate. Seeing all the people milling about, it was hard to imagine that less than two decades earlier I would’ve been standing alongside the Wall – on the east side.

I took a few minutes to look at a memorial near the entrance to Fan Fest where a makeshift memorial had been erected along a fence to remember some of the people who had died trying to escape the repressive Communist regime that once ruled these parts. For Gen-Xers like myself, a divided Germany was what we knew throughout our formative years and beyond.

Thankfully, those days are behind us now and the world slowly evolves. Hopefully we can continue to adapt to a changing planet and lift each other up in the process.

Along those lines, I wandered back towards HQ from the Brandenburg Gate along the Unter den Linden – aka ‘Embassy Row’, at least to me. A couple of clicks to the east, amongst a number of impressive museums and churches, I came upon something bizarre that I’d passed on the bus ride from the airport to the Alexanderplatz a few days earlier; a square filled with nearly a hundred-and-fifty six-foot tall fiberglass bears each painted in a unique way.

So I stopped to take a look and quickly learned that FIFA had commissioned the display to promote unity amongst the people of this planet. The display at the entrance to the plaza had text written in several languages and here’s some of what it said: “We have to get to know each other…it makes us understand one another better, trust each other more, and live together more peacefully.”

As someone who believes in the power of football, the statement above resonated deeply within me when I read it…and that’s why I wanted to share it with you.

Each of the nearly 150 artistically-designed bears was unique in its representation of a different country. And while some were more aesthetically pleasing than others, two in particular specifically built upon the message of peace – Bhutan, a sacred nation high in the Himalayas, and Jamaica, an island nation in the Caribbean known for its positive vibrations and optimism. Also, the Vietnamese bear had this quote inscribed on it, “He Who Doesn’t Love, Doesn’t Live.”

Additionally, there was one metallic-looking bear on all fours (unlike all the others that were on their hind legs only) at the front of the plaza that was intentionally set apart from the others in a conspicuous location. On it was this quote by Albert Einstein, “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”

And with that, we now turn to the 9pm kickoff from Dortmund between hosts Germany and a new-look Italian squad. Promoting fair play was none other than the referee who always seems to be happy despite the gravity of the situation – Mexico’s Benito Archundia, who was about to referee a record fifth match at one World Cup finals. Clearly, FIFA had a lot of faith in this guy, and frankly, he’s proven himself to be a consistently even-handed official in each of his previous four matches.

As he walked out of the tunnel, smiling as usual, with the teams behind him, I predicted a 1 – nil result for the home side, confident that the Mexican official would continue to shine.

Fireworks would go off outside of our window during the German national anthem. I found it somewhat ironic that this was America’s Day of Independence from its colonial birth under the imperialistic reign of the British monarchy.

And with that, the match commenced.

Italy controlled the ball to start, but lost it in the second minute due to the first of many offside calls against them. Gattuso committed a foul in the following minute, but Perrotta would soon be fouled at the other end of the pitch. This would lead to Lehmann’s first save of the match as the ball skimmed off the shoulder of a defender.

Good ‘no-call’ by Archundia in the 5th, but moments later the whistle would go Germany’s way when Pirlo took down Ballack. Klose went down two minutes later and it was hard to tell if the ref played the advantage or simply felt there had been no foul. Either way, Germany maintained possession as the striker may have embellished a bit.

A good Italian movement would lead to a corner kick in the 11th, but that would eventually end with a goal kick. Back the other way, Lukas Podolski’s shot from nineteen was blocked by a defender and then Pirlo was fouled going back the other way. But that attack would end with Zambrotta being called for offside. Shortly thereafter Italy had the ball again and it was Toni who was offside going down the left flank.

Germany mounted a flowing attack, but Podolski was too late to arrive on the scene in the box to get a shot off. Still in that end, Ballack nodded the ball over a defender as he ran laterally up at the top of the box. The Italian moved his upper arm slightly towards the ball and it skimmed off the outside of his right shoulder. Ballack waved his arm emphatically, hoping to get a penalty kick for this slight infraction, but Archundia wasn’t buying it. Technically, yes, one could perhaps argue that this was hand-to-ball, but to give a penalty for something so trifling would have been an injustice. I was glad that Archundia stood his ground despite the brief protest.

Back the other way, and Perrotta was sent through on goal with a well-timed pass. Lehmann came at him like a bat out of hell and knocked the ball away just before he clattered into the hard-charging Italian. Perrotta was down for a minute, but no foul had been committed.

Back and forth it went, Germany eventually winning a corner in the 17th, but it would only result in a throw-in for Italy. They’d get fouled then lose the ball, win it back, then lose it again, eventually resulting in a little foul by Materazzi on Podolski. The Polish-born German would soon get a shot off from sixteen, but his effort was well over the crossbar.

In the 22nd, Ballack wanted a foul he didn’t deserve, but moments later the home side would get a whistle near midfield. Some brief words were exchanged by the players, but Archundia was quickly on the scene – for the first time in the match – then spotted the ball for the German free kick.

The attack would soon die with the ball in Buffon’s arms. And going back upfield for Italy, Zambrotta was fouled by Borowski. The ball was sent into the mixer and it may have gone off Borowski and out over the end line, but a goal kick was signaled and play continued with Lehmann’s kick.

In the 27th, Borowski begged for a call he didn’t get, but moments later Klose was fouled anyway. The attack would end when Materazzi was fouled late in the penalty area.

The first card of the match seemed likely when Phillipp Lahm took down an Italian attacker near his own corner after he’d been beaten, but Archundia merely sent him a look that merited caution on the part of the German defender. This would lead to a sixteen-yard blast by Totti, but it was blocked.

Toni was offside again in the 30th, Italy would soon win it back though. Grosso nutmegged his defender then won a corner after driving into the penalty area from the left. A second corner kick was won, but that would go right to Lehmann who does well to protect his goal in these situations.

Podolski was whistled for handling the ball in the 34th, but the Germans quickly regained possession, knocked the ball around with a few nice passes, then Schneider should have done better, but only managed to crack it over the crossbar from the right side about twelve yards from goal.

At the other end, Camoranesi tried to save a difficult ball from going over the end line and ended up sliding into an advertising placard a few yards off the pitch after bumping into Metzelder. The German defender had done very little, but the samurai-looking Argentine-born Italian was unwilling to shake his hand as he ignored the outstretched arm on his way back up the pitch.

Mertesacher gave up a corner in the 37th. It was easily cleared and then going back the other way Ballack committed a foul near the corner flag. The AR set the spot since the Italian kicker tried to move it forward a yard or three.

In the 39th it appeared that Germany might have gotten fouled a couple of times, but the ref seemed content to let ‘em play, judging that no infraction had been committed. In the following minute, however, there was no mistaking Borowski’s tackle from behind and he was shown the first yellow card of the match. After another German foul, the ball would be headed over the crossbar by the Italians.

In the 43rd, and it seemed very out-of-the-blue to me, the referee warned Jens Lehmann about time-wasting as he set up to take a goal kick. Maybe that was just Archundia’s way of nipping things in the bud.

Perrotta was called for a foul in the 44th and showed the referee what he thought of that by signaling with his hands that Ballack had taken a dive. Consensus amongst the guys I was with seemed to agree with the Italian assessment of things.

In the 45th, Totti charged recklessly towards Ballack for the ball and the German bent over, thus allowing the Italian’s momentum to carry him over Ballack’s back in a spectacular flip. Fully aware of the situation, the referee whistled Totti for his out-of-control charge on the play.

And the final act of the scoreless first half was another offside decision against the rangy Luca Toni. In all, it was fairly entertaining and evenly played as both teams had a number of goal-scoring opportunities.

Things started off slowly in the second half and then each team would be flagged for offside in the 47th and 48th minutes respectively. In the 50th, Klose found some space and drove into the box with Gennaro Gattuso hassling him along the way. As a result, his shot as he went to ground wasn’t terribly dangerous as the Italian midfielder had done well to track him back into his own penalty area.

Back the other way Grosso made a slashing run into the box, but he was offside when he received the pass.

In the 54th Friedrich gave up a corner that he probably shouldn’t have, but Lehmann was right there to snag it out of the air anyway. Borowski wasted an opportunity a minute later and in the 56th, Podolski was called for a wayward arm that found Materazzi’s head.

In the 56th minute Metzelder came in from behind to win a ball, but would earn himself a yellow card in the process as Archundia didn’t want to let things get away from him.

A high boot by Toni in the 59th was followed by a bit of an elbow by Totti – a good call that was difficult to spot in real time. Perrotta was offside once Italy won the ball back and then there was a good no-call in the 62nd as Italy gathered some momentum.

Momentum they would soon lose as Germany built the attack quickly out of the back, eventually getting the ball wide to Schneider who found Podolski with his back to goal about ten yards out and to the right. The striker turned on a dime, but Buffon fisted the ball clear and the rebounded shot was well over its intended target.

Totti was fouled in the 64th and then a surprising call was made against Toni moments later. It was unclear what he had done, even to Jurgen Klinsmann, who looked slightly puzzled along the toucline.

Grosso would win a call, but Italy would quickly return it when Zambrotta was whistled for backing into Borowski on an aerial ball. Podolski was unable to beat Cannavarro and then Borowski would once again protest from the ground near the touchline, but it seemed like he had taken a bit of a dive.

Materazzi was fouled in his own box in the 69th and then Camoranesi was flagged for offside at the other end of the park.

In the 72nd, Gattuso went down injured and Klose came over to help him stretch his leg. Again, referees love seeing this kind of sportsmanship. Players taking care of one another really makes for a better game for everyone involved.

Moments after Borowski exited the match to make way for Schweinsteiger, Totti was called for backing into an opponent. Then a straight striker-for-striker switch was made for Italy as Gilardino came on for Toni. The fresh-legged forward was almost immediately called for offside.

They’d win the ball back and force a corner on a long cross. That would amount to nothing and in the 77th Ballack came in a bit late on Camoranesi. Pirlo’s blistering effort from thirty-five yards out was directly at Lehmann. And then going back upfield, Gautsso committed a foul against Ballack.

In the 81st was, to the viewer at home, a controversial moment. Materazzi was called for foul in the back of an opponent and the ball was set about twenty yards from goal. On replay, however, it was clear that if a foul had been committed, then it was done so inside the penalty area. But as referees, we’ve all been there. Sometimes when it’s really close like that you can sell it as though it happened outside rather than inside the box. And that’s what Archundia did with little or no protest from either team.

Ballack’s kick was nowhere near the target and then Odonkor came in to replace the marginally-effective Bernd Schneider. Italy was offside once again soon thereafter and then it was Ballack committing at least his third foul on the rugged Gennaro Gattuso.

In the 88th, Lehmann made a great play against an onside Perrotta and with Italy still on the attack, Lahm made a nice defensive play when the ball was sent through by Italy. Mauro Camoranesi was rightly booked in the 90th when he came in from behind and then even committed another foul in the same minute. The free kick, which was much like a corner, was headed out of danger and Archundia would blow his whistle soon thereafter.

At midfield for the coin toss before the overtime periods were to begin, the referee continued his upbeat ways, smiling during the brief ceremony.

Italy would have three strikers now instead of their usual two as Iaquinta came on to replace Camoranesi, who actually had been pushing forward from midfield for much of the match. The offensive maneuver almost paid immediate dividends as Gilardino found himself all alone in front of Lehmann near the right post. He didn’t get much on the ball, but found a crack in the German’s armor, slipping the ball past him and off the bottom of the post.

Italy would then win a corner, from which the ball would fall to Zambrotta whose crushing effort from the top of the penalty area rattled the crossbar. The Germans were quite fortunate not to be down a goal at this point as Italy won another corner.

This they would survive unscathed before heading back up the other way where Lahm was held down low near the corner by Zambrotta. The Italians would clear this, but then Germany found the ball near midfield and driving back, a wicked shot found Materazzi’s head and sent him to the ground.

In the 98th, Podolski appeared to slip to the left of the Italian penalty area, but the referee would award him a free kick he probably didn’t deserve as Cannavarro was demonstrative in his protest. It was a dangerous opportunity for the Germans, but nothing would come of it.

Pirlo’s shot in the 102nd was way over the target and a minute later it was Ballack and not the Italians who was performing some theatrics, clutching his face when on replay it appeared that he’d never even been touched. Moments later the Italians, clearly not wanting to go into penalties, brought on their fourth striker, Juventus’ Alessandro del Piero.

During the minute of stoppage time, Totti seemed like he might have been fouled, but the whistle never blew and Germany quickly countered. The ball was centered to Lukas Podolski whose header from twelve yards out posed very little threat to Buffon’s goal, despite shouts of excitement coming from nearby apartment windows.

In the second fifteen-minute overtime, Iaquinta won an Italian corner, but Lehmann was there as usual. Two minutes later, Del Piero thought he’d been obstructed then tripped his opponent from behind out of frustration.

In the 110th, Odonkor looked to the AR for a call, but got nothing. Neuville came in for Klose a minute later and then Italy, onside, were snuffed by the German defense.

Back the other way and Podolski found himself unmarked fifteen yards out and at an angle. Buffon stoned him, but Germany would win a corner.

Back the other way it would go though, and Italy won a corner…Podolski was called for a foul…and then Pirlo was fouled for Italy. Back and forth it went before Pirlo’s rippin’ shot from thirty yards forced a tough save and ultimately went out for an Italian corner.

In the 119th minute, there it was, Pirlo collected the ball just outside the German penalty area and sent a deft through-ball about six yards ahead to an onside Fabio Grosso – the defender that Australians still claim took a dive to beat them in the Round of 16. On this occasion, however, there was no controversy as Grosso one-timed it with his left foot and curled it around Lehmann and just inside the far left post.

It was unthinkable, Germany were out. For how could they possibly score now with so little time left. However, as little time as there was, Italy still had time for a second as they stole the ball near midfield with the German defenders pushing all the way up. Two-on-one, the ball was sent left to Del Piero who drove in towards Lehmann before side-footing it to the far right post past the helpless keeper.

Two goals in three minutes for a shock finish in Dortmund.

In the end, the Italian squad and its fans should be proud of their performance amongst difficult circumstances. Not only did they manage to shut down Miroslav Klose and the rest of the German attack, but they did so in a way that did not detract from the game. They played with both offense and defense in mind and did so without resorting to the typical gamesmanship that so often plagues their matches. The Azurri proved their mettle today and in doing so, have perhaps muted their critics in the process.

Hopefully they can give another performance like that on Sunday. And maybe Archundia will be there again as well.

Until France v Portugal and another look at Uruguay’s Jorge Larrionda – the referee who’s been on the receiving end of so much derision and scorn by the American public and press…

Well, if you’ve been reading my reports about the referees’ performances at the matches at this year’s World Cup, you’ve probably heard me say more than once that it’s time to get rid of offside altogether, or at the very least, amend it drastically in order to reduce the frequency of controversial and/or wrong decisions by the Assistant Referees. In addition, I’m of the belief that doing this will also create more scoring opportunities and thus, result in more goals being scored every match.

Now, a study by a Belgian researcher pretty much sums up what I’ve been saying all along – that referees frequently make mistakes in offside decisions and that invariably these mistakes go against the offense. Take a look and see for yourself…
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1151705448287

The researcher points out that only 4.3% of these wrong decisions actually result in the referee denying what otherwise would have been a goal-scoring opportunity. But I wonder how they define that. To me, anytime you wrongly flag an offensive player for offside you take away a potential goal-scoring opportunity. And since, I believe, the majority of wrong offside decisions are made in favor of the defense, I would argue that the 4.3% figure should be revised significantly upward.

Anyway, I thought I’d bring this study to your attention on this day off and solicit your comments. I’d be curious to hear what you think about this study and my opinions on it.

That morning at breakfast I offered up a wager to Sean – one of the guys who runs this website. “Give me 3 to 1 odds and I’ll take France.” He took me up on the offer, but like an idiot, I backed down.

Eight years earlier I was in Vegas for the final between these same two teams and placed a wager on France that I’ll never forget. I figured, ‘these guys are playing in Paris and they’re a 2.2 to 1 underdog…how can that be?’. So I put ten bucks down at the Golden Nugget’s sports book; and figuring that if they were gonna win, they’d probably do it by taking a lead in the first half, so I put another ten bucks down that France would have the lead at halftime and go on to win the match. The odds for that second wager were 7 to 1.

Sure I didn’t get rich that day, but I did make over ninety bucks. Not bad. So why was I incapable of thinking that history could repeat itself in this quarterfinal match? Brazil hadn’t looked terribly impressive so far, despite recently beating Ghana 3 – nil. And France, despite having a mediocre first round, looked fantastic in their 3 – 1 victory over a solid Spanish side.

It would be Spain’s Luis Medina-Cantalejo in charge of this one. And for those who quickly forget, he’s the guy who worked the Italy – Australia match; supplying a questionable red card to Italian defender Marco Materazzi as well as awarding a highly controversial penalty kick (a call that I agreed with) to the Italians in the game’s dying moments with the match still scoreless.

As has been the case with all of the quarterfinal matches, the team captains spoke to the world about the need to eradicate racism. Cafu and Zidane spoke briefly on this subject. It’s worth noting that this is not the first time that the Algerian-born Frenchman has done this. For it was during his country’s elections several years ago that he spoke out against the xenophobic anti-immigration rhetoric of Prime Ministerial candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen. It’s something that I admire about the soft-spoken superstar; he’s willing to take a stand on important issues such as this that transcend sport.

With the match about to commence, I was pleased to see that everyone was all smiles. And perhaps it’s because so many of the game’s opponents are actually teammates the rest of the year. On both sides were players from Arsenal (Henry and Silva), Real Madrid (Zidane and Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos), and Bayern Munich (Sagnol and Ze Roberto).

And moments after the referee blew the whistle to start the match, it became clear that we’d be in for a very special treat as Zidane immediately showed us his sublime brilliance, working the ball seemingly effortlessly before passing the ball forward into space to an offside Thierry Henry who chose not to go for the pass in light of his illegal positioning beyond the defense. Henry’s proclivity for hanging out offside was something that we’d see much more of as the night progressed.

In the 3rd minute of the match Ronaldinho won a foul when he was pushed off the ball twenty-five yards from goal. But Juninho’s effort went directly into the wall and out of bounds for a corner. Barthez would punch that away and then back up the field Zidane was whistled for knocking Juninho off the ball. The Brazilian attack would eventually come to an end, though, when Juan was flagged for being offside; albeit, just barely.

In the 7th, Makele committed a foul and the Brazilian attack would once again end, thwarted by an offside call against Ronaldinho. Two minutes later the referee made a good decision to award a corner kick to Brazil after the ball came off Sagnol. But Roberto Carlos’ cross was sent into outer-space, thus giving none of his teammates an opportunity to score.

In the 10th minute Brazil won a foul about thirty-five yards from goal. For some reason, Makelele was allowed to stand only about six yards away as Ronaldinho prepared to send it goal-ward. He was able to find Ronaldo’s head, but then he wasn’t able to find his intended target, once again sending the ball out of play.

Perhaps getting somewhat frustrated, Ronaldo yanked down Makelele in the 13th. France would then win a corner kick as the ball went out off of Cafu. Dida would knock the ball away, Ribery would find it, but his effort was well over the crossbar.

In the 15th minute I’d learn that Lucio was only about eight minutes away from setting an all-time World Cup record for not committing a foul – 383 consecutive minutes. As he challenged Henry for the ball, he managed to keep his streak intact.

Juan crushed Vieira in the 17th and France would control the ball for quite a while, eventually returning it to Brazil when Henry was flagged for offside.

France won a corner in the 22nd, but Lucio, now less than two minutes away from the record, would clear it from danger. France won a free kick in the following minute and then after losing possession, the clock would enter the 24th minute and the record was all Lucio’s – four straight games without a foul plus this game as well. It’s a pretty incredible feat when you really think about it.

In the next minute, Lucio’s wing defender and team captain, Cafu, was rightly shown the first yellow card of the match when he had a fistful of Abidal’s shirt as the young Frenchman sped past the aging Brazilian. In the very next minute, with the French controlling much of play throughout this opening third of the match, Lucio actually committed a foul, only two minutes after setting the record. It’s almost as if he knew it and was now ready to play a more physical brand of football.

On the ensuing free kick, Medina-Cantalejo told the players that he would not allow them to hold one another. The French would soon win a corner, but then going back the other way, Ronaldinho seemed a little fortunate to be awarded a free kick when he was off-balance and very little contact was made. But maybe he’s sort of like the Michael Jordan of the footballing world, winning calls other players might not.

Roberto Carlos fouled Ribery in the 30th and shortly thereafter the referee was unwilling to respond to the pleas of a fallen Brazilian player who thought he’d been unfairly treated. France would soon win a corner that Dida punched away from his area and then Henry would once again bring an end to things with another offside decision by the Assistant Referee.

In the 33rd, Gilberto Silva was guilty of a pick that sent Ribery crashing to the turf, but then a minute later I thought Roberto Carlos might’ve gotten away with an obstruction on a French attack. Two minutes after that I thought that Cafu may also have been fortunate not to hear a whistle when he appeared to push an opponent off the ball after the Brazilian had lost control of it.

Cafu fouled Malouda in the 38th and then Zidane’s kick found the original foulee, but the ball was not on target. Back on offense again a couple minutes later, Zidane was called for a foul on Cafu in the penalty area.

And as the halftime whistle approached, I noted that ‘it’s all France!!’. They really had seemed to have more offensive opportunities than the Brazilians despite a goalless first half.

But wait there’s more…Zidane was pure magic in his movement near midfield, beating at least three Brazilians before finding Patrick Vieira surging up the middle. The lanky midfielder lumbered towards goal with a defender on either side of him, but it was Juan who came in from Vieira’s left to scythe him down and prevent him from continuing onward.

Had it not been for the fact that there was another Brazilian defender in the vicinity, Juan surely would’ve been shown the red. But in the end, I think justice was properly served to only award Juan the yellow. Ironically, it was a play not altogether different from this one in which Medina-Cantalejo sent off Materazzi against Australia. Perhaps he learned from that experience and realized the harshness of that decision.

The ensuing free kick was taken about twenty-seven yards from goal, which meant that the wall was set up just inside the Brazilian penalty area. The ball was kicked directly into the wall, but the referee surprisingly awarded another free kick to France just outside the box. It had been a call against Ronaldo for handling. I never did see exactly where the ball was when it made contact with Ronaldo’s hand, but I suppose maybe the placement outside the penalty area was correct given the assumption that the Brazilians jumped toward the kicker when the ball was played forward.

And for those of you who think that Ronaldo did not deliberately playing the ball with his hand here, there is some merit to your argument. However, the replay clearly showed that Ronaldo’s arm was away from his body in a very unnatural position – a position that for all intents and purposes is deemed deliberate even if the defender tries to argue that it was not. His arm shouldn’t have been extended away from his body like that if, as he was arguing, he was trying to protect his face. And for his lengthy protest, Ronaldo would earn a caution from the referee.

After that, Medina-Cantalejo eventually moved the Brazilian wall back the required minimum distance. And after doing so, the kick slammed into the wall and rebounded to a French player who was also denied by the defense.

It would end up being a scoreless first half after all.

France continued their attacking ways to start the second half and Juan immediately fouled Zidane. His free kick found Vieira near the top of the goal area, but his header was just wide of the mark.

Going back the other way, Vieira was rightly whistled for a foul at midfield. Brazil would soon win a corner and they’d retain possession until Barthez eventually collected the ball about a minute later.

Brazil would win a foul in the 49th, but a swift French counter-attack saw Henry off to the races down the left side. However, his centering pass was useless as nobody was there to receive it.

In the 51st, Kaka fouled Zidane then helped the old master back up to his feet; a bit of sportsmanship everyone’s always happy to see. Soon thereafter Henry was hoping for a high kick call against Lucio, but the replay clearly showed that his foot was only marginally above his waist and that Henry had lowered his head to play the ball off of Lucio’s foot.

The French would win another corner and then the AR in the area would soon call a foul against Ronaldo. The French would retain possession and cross into the middle where three players were onside at the time of the pass, but beyond the Brazilian back-line as the ball came their way. One of the Frenchmen then flicked it on to Henry who headed it into the goal. But the flag had correctly been raised on Henry because he was in an offside position when the last flick of the head sent the ball his way.

Cafu committed another foul a couple minutes later in the 56th out near the touchline and it would be Zidane’s job to send the ball goalward. As he did so, it was as though the Brazilian defense, including Dida rooted to the goal line, were all watching in amazement as the ball floated in a beautiful arc to the far post where Thierry Henry was awaiting its arrival in a world of his own. No goalie in his face, no defender tugging at his shoulder, nothing. It was too good to be true.

And to top it all off, he was in an onside position for perhaps the first time the entire night. The soccer Gods had conspired to make this moment last forever for Les Bleus.

With all the simplicity one could imagine, Henry merely raised his right foot to meet the earthbound ball and struck it easily, using gravity for his power, and watched it fly up past the flapping arms of Nelson de Jesus Silva and into the roof of the net.

From outside our apartment window near the Alexanderplatz on the east side of Berlin you could hear cheers all around. None of us were quite sure if these were supporters of France or German fans who were now more hopeful than ever that perhaps they would not have to face the mighty Brazilians en route to seeing their country win its fourth World Cup title. And to us, it didn’t really matter. All we knew was that Brazil would be desperate to score for the next thirty-three or so minutes and that we were in for a real humdinger of a football match.

But France were not content to sit back and allow the Brazilians to come at them with guns blazing. They were on a mission to score a second and put this game away.

The AR called a foul on Henry in the 60th and soon thereafter he was flagged for another offside. They’d soon win the ball back and Ribery would beat his marker in the corner to the left of the goal then fire one from a very difficult angle. Brazil were mighty lucky not to give up their second as the ball deflected off the foot of Juan before bounding across the end line just a few feet beyond the far post.

Henry fouled Kaka in the 63rd and before the kick could be taken, Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira brought in Adriano to replace Juninho in an attempt to bring more firepower to his team’s front line.

In the following minute Ribery fouled Roberto Carlos and the two landed on top of one another. (And please remind me here, did the referee call the foul here? Somehow I’m thinking he didn’t.) The Brazilian was clearly angry and threw a fist at Ribery’s side as the Frenchman landed on top of him. And not wanting to receive such abuse without returning some of his own, Ribery gave a little kick back at Carlos.

I don’t know if the referee saw any of this, but if he had, I think this might have been a good opportunity to give them each a caution and have them shake hands and move on. But since I’m thinking he didn’t call a foul here, he might not have seen any of these after-the-play shenanigans since the ball was by this point somewhere else on the pitch.

In the 67th, Zidane was called for a hold, but France would quickly regain possession and Sagnol would win a corner.

Then back on defense again, Vieira would win a goal kick. Gilberto Silva would soon commit a foul.

Ronaldo would take a dive in the 70th and was VERY fortunate not to receive his second booking. Perhaps if he wasn’t Ronaldo playing for the great Brazil, the referee might not have been so forgiving.

In any event, France would race back up the pitch and Ribery would come very close to scoring back at the other end. Two minutes later the referee made a good no-call as Henry went down in the box.

Zidane performed one of his brilliant patented spin moves that allowed him to find some space in the 73rd minute, but France would lose the ball and Sagnol would illegally stop Kaka’s counter-attack, earning a caution for himself in the process.

Two minutes later it was that guy who never commits fouls, Lucio, who took Henry down with a late foul, earning himself a booking as well.

Cicinho then came in for Cafu – playing in his fourth and final World Cup for his country. And then it was the impressive twenty-three year old Ribery who made way for Govou. Two minutes later and with little more than ten minutes to go, it was Robinho to add more firepower for an impotent Brazilian attack as Kaka left the pitch.

In the 80th, Malouda committed a foul against Brazil after he himself thought he’d been fouled. Brazil would mount an attack, but Robinho should’ve done much better from only fourteen yards out.

Moments later, the French would bring on Sylvain Wiltord who came in to replace the hard-working Florent Malouda. On the very next play Ze Roberto really deserved a caution for coming into Zidane from behind. And then Henry was soon called for a shove.

Two successive fouls by the Brazilians in the 83rd would eventually lead to a French turnover and an effort that went wide by Ronaldo. With only a few minutes left to play, Brazil had still not produced even one shot on goal. But it might only take one to tie things up and France were not about to let that happen.

Finally, in the 85th minute Manchester United striker Louis Saha would come in to replace the tiring Thierry Henry. Brazil would win a corner, but Barthez would save it as he or one of his defenders was fouled anyway.

Saha was called for offside in the 87th, and not happy with this decision, he’d kick the ball way and be shown the yellow card by the referee, just two minutes after entering the game.

A minute later, Ronaldo appeared to have taken a Louganis-style dive on the replay, but the referee was fooled and even booked Lilian Thuram who was protesting his innocence just twenty-two yards from goal.

I had a bad feeling as Ronaldinho addressed the ball, thinking that this was perhaps the once chance Brazil needed. And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I was rooting for France, the underdog, and it’s leader Zidane.

The reigning two-time World Football Player of Year wasn’t earning his keep in this game or, for that matter, throughout the tournament. On this point, I’ll agree with a statement made by Marcelo Balboa days earlier when Brazil were unimpressive in their victory over Ghana. As such, Ronaldinho didn’t hit the target, but he didn’t miss by much either.

In the 90th minute it appeared that France should’ve won a corner, but it was Brazil who were awarded a goal kick. France would quickly win the ball back, Zidane would pass it to Saha, and Saha would shoot it at Dida to give Brazil another opportunity.

Finally, in stoppage time, Brazil would force Barthez to make his first save of the game with their first shot at the French goal. The goalie came up big after not having to do much for the past ninety minutes.

And then in the following minute Cicinho’s cross found Ze Roberto in the middle of the penalty area, but his effort was wide of the goal. With their backs up against the wall Brazil were finally showing some signs of life.

But France would win the ball back and Zidane should’ve taken the ball down to the corner rather than challenge the keeper. Maybe he just wanted one more opportunity to be a hero, but he’d already been there. Now was the time to kill the clock and I was surprised by what I thought was poor judgment by the master.

His impetuousness gave Brazil one final attack deep into stoppage time, but that, like all of their previous attacks in this match, would come up empty when Adriano was called for a push down in the French penalty area. Moments later, the referee blew his final whistle.

There was a collective cheer from out in the street as we surmised that the German supporters were relieved that they would not have to face Brazil in order to win the Cup.

As for me, I was cheering because I knew that we’d have at least one more opportunity to see Zizou’s poetry in motion. Hopefully he has two more encore performances left in him before he’s through.

Sean and Chris (the two guys who run this website), Mika (Sean’s friend from Portland), and I headed out to grab a late breakfast at the Hakescher Markt on the morning before the two remaining quarterfinal matches. We grabbed one of the many outdoor tables set up on the cobblestones in the plaza there.

Sean seems to know all the girls who work there, having now spent more than a month living just a few blocks from this popular gathering place with its abundance of eateries. Most of the waitresses seem to have boyfriends, but Sean was able to identify one young beauty – Ulli – who does not. She says she has five different jobs, though, and her English wasn’t the best.

But Sean was undeterred, hopeful that our server Vicky, whose boyfriend works back in the kitchen, would be a willing accomplice in his efforts to connect with Ulli. At one point he joked to Vicky that Ulli was going to be his girlfriend. “But, does she even know your name?”, she replied with a laugh.

A short while later, after we’d decided to stick around and have a post-meal cocktail, I decided to get up and hit the head. Along the way, I stopped for a brief chat with Vicky and Ulli to let ‘em know that we were gonna stick around…and that oh, by the way, “his name is Sean”, I informed them. “He’s a really nice guy”, I added.

Well, I don’t know how much of a role I played, but later when Vicky brought the check, she also had a little something for Sean – a piece of paper with Ulli’s phone number on it. So if anything ever comes of this nascent blossoming affair, I’ll know that I had a hand in things from the very beginning back in Berlin on July 1st, 2006.

But on to more important things – a compelling quarterfinal tilt in Gelsenkirchen between England and Portugal with Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo in the middle. And of note to those of you who are fans of Coffi Codija – the very capable referee from the tiny African nation of Benin – he was working as the match’s fourth official, something that brought great delight to several of my cohorts down at HQ.

It was also good to see that Manchester United midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo had recovered from his injury at the hands (or studs actually) of Dutch defender Boulahrouz. I always like match-ups that pit a player against the country in which he makes a living.

And as I had noted the day before at the Olympiastadion, the team captains – David Beckham and Luis Figo (also former teammates at Real Madrid) – gave brief pre-match speeches against racism.

As the match was about to commence, I noted on my pad that Elizondo was the referee in charge of the controversial Switzerland – Korea match; the one in which his assistant threw up a flag for offside against the Swiss and then brought it back down once he realized the ball had been inadvertently played backwards by a Korean defender. I defended Elizondo and his assistant for ultimately making the right decision to allow Frei’s goal in that instance, and I’m sorry if any of you still don’t agree.

But anyway, on to this match, which I predicted on a whim would end up in a 3 – 1 victory for the Portuguese. Little did I know at the time how accurate this portent would be despite losing faith with the game scoreless at the half.

How’d we get there though?

In the opening minute Rooney had an early opportunity blocked by a defender. Two minutes later Ronaldo was fouled by Neville…and then Cole seemed to get away with one on Figo.

Only five minutes into the match, Elizondo said “NO!” to Portuguese gamesmanship when they held onto the ball even though it was a throw-in for England. A minute later I thought Cole was fortunate to win a foul by Petit. Before the ensuing free kick the referee warned the players about holding.

In the 9th and 10th mintues Rooney and Ronaldo would each fire twenty-five yard efforts directly at the opposing keepers. And then Canadian-born Owen Hargreaves was called for a tight foul at midfield. A minute later I thought he was fortunate to escape a yellow card when he whacked Ronaldo in the leg from behind.

Lampard was whistled for a foul on Miguel in the 12th and Robinson misplayed the free kick, almost allowing Tiago to beat him to the ball. On the next play, Beckham committed a little foul on Nuno Valente. And then Hargreaves committed his third foul in the past ten minutes when he knocked down Figo. “Big Phil” didn’t like what he saw and helet the referee know it, but Elizondo told the Portuguese coach to have a seat and shut his yap.

England would have possession for most of the next five minutes, but that would eventually end when Joe Cole was called for climbing on Miguel’s back. They would soon regain the momentum, working the ball well on offense and defending confidently in back.

Rooney felt aggrieved that he didn’t win a call for a high boot in the 25th, but it was he who came out of nowhere and put his head where it probably didn’t belong.

A short while later Elizondo made a good decision when Ronaldo went to ground too easily when he was challenged for the ball. Perhaps it was even a dive, and if so, the crafty midfielder might’ve been fortunate to escape without a card.

The first card of the match came in the 29th and was a bit of a surprise, although on replay it seemed like Elizondo made the right decision. Both John Terry and Tiago ended up on the ground after challenging for an aerial ball and clanging heads. Once Terry was back on his feet, he was shown the yellow, much to his consternation. But the ball really was Tiago’s all the way as the only way for Terry to get to it was to go through the Portuguese player, which is what he had tried to do.

Tiago was called for a push on Joe Cole in the 34th…a Hargreaves dangerous play a minute later…and Rooney was called for tripping Carvalho, I believe it was, in the 38th.

Figo was only about a yard wide on a far post effort in the 39th and the advantage was played to continue and English attack in the 40th.

Paul Robinson palmed away a header on the next Portuguese move in his end. And then in the 42nd Gary Neville let the ref know how he felt about a call against him. But back the other way it went as Hargreaves did well to win a corner.

Petit was booked in the 44th for coming in late on Joe Cole and Beckham’s effort from twenty-four yards out was miserable as he hit the wall. And the half would end with a decent, but futile effort by Frank Lampard.

In the 47th Beckham was unfortunate not to win a free kick when Nuno Valente made some contact with the English captain. And two minutes later Ronaldo would not win a call either after HE nicked the defender’s foot.

Down in the Portuguese penalty area in the 51st, Beckham kicked the ball into a defender’s hand about two yards away from him. Did he really think it was worthy of a penalty kick or was he just hoping that Elizondo was clueless? In any event, the referee ignored Posh’s husband’s remonstrations. Moments later he’d be subbed out for Aaron Lennon – a wise decision, everyone in the room concurred.

The speedy, crafty midfielder made an immediate impact, helping his team to win a corner. And on this, Frank Lampard really should’ve done better as he was all alone at the far post. Instead of side-volleying it into the back of the net, he hit it straight down into the ground where it bounded high into the air and over the bar. Terry protested that he’d been obstructed, but it was an argument he definitely would not win.

Moments later the screen showed a pathetic image of David Beckham sobbing with his head in his hands. He lifted his head for a moment and looked like a small child whose mommy had just yelled at him.

But back to the action on the pitch. Ronaldo seemed justifiably aggrieved when the ball was only about 80 – 90% out of bounds and the Assistant Ref had signaled otherwise with his flag.

In the 57th, Maniche was completely full of shit when he won a call for a dive. I’d really like FIFA to review these kinds of things and sanction players after the match. It might eliminate this kind of gamesmanship that only serves to hurt our game.

England had their best chance only a couple minutes later when Lennon beat his defender then passed the ball to Rooney – who whiffed, swinging way too hard – and then Cole sent it over the crossbar from ten after the ball bounded his way.

But it was the 62nd minute that will live forever in Wayne Rooney’s mind. He was getting hassled by a couple of Portuguese players near midfield and Elizondo eventually called the foul once it was clear that Rooney wasn’t going to wriggle free.

Rooney was clearly heated after the referee blew his whistle and his Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo came rushing to the scene to have a few words with his temperamental opponent. Elizondo was right there when he saw Rooney shove Ronaldo in the chest. And moments later the red card was shown to the high-strung striker.

The replay showed Rooney stepping on the “groin” of one of the defenders who’d been hassling him – Carvalho perhaps. But Elizondo hadn’t seem too disturbed by that action, or perhaps he had already made up his mind that Rooney had put his boot there intentionally. It was hard to tell.

In the end, I’m not sure why Elizondo sent Rooney off. If it was for the shove, that surely only warranted a caution. And if it was for the boot, that didn’t seem deliberate as he was tangled up with Carvalho and seemed to be trying to break free from him.

But Elizondo WAS right there. So perhaps from his perspective it was much more clear what Rooney’s intent was; which might’ve been to castrate his opponent. So while the sending off might have seemed harsh to the viewing audience and to English supporters in particular, I can only assume that Elizondo was certain that Rooney’s intent was to injure his opponent. Otherwise, I don’t think he would’ve made such a profound decision to impact this match.

So now with England reduced to ten men, the match resumed. Cole was fouled by Meira in the 65th. Simao then came in for an ineffective Pauleta and Crouch came in for Joe Cole – one of the more useful English players on the pitch.

Hargreaves committed his fourth foul of the match, but first in quite a while, then grabbed the ball from his opponents. For this I thought he should’ve been booked.

Portugal had a chance in the 68th and then Ronaldo won a foul, although he did embellish things quite a bit. Shortly thereafter Hargreaves made a nice run around the left side of the defense, but his final touch defied him.

In the 73rd, Gerrard really should’ve done better with a cross to Crouch. Two minutes later Hugo Viana came in for Tiago. And then I noted that in the 77th minute that there had only been a total of about seventeen fouls – an astonishingly low, one foul for every four-and-a-half minutes of play.

Robinson came up big on a chipped shot in the 78th and then Viana was slightly injured (eye) when he ran into one of Crouch’s pointy elbows. He recovered quickly though, driving a real smoker right at Robinson.

England had a good opportunity from thirty yards out on a free kick in the 82nd…Lampard’s shot was saved, but Lennon couldn’t knock in the rebound.

Near the end of the match Helder Postiga came in for Luis Figo. Portugal had a positive attack thwarted. Then in the 90th Ashley Cole gave up the ball to Maniche who should’ve done better, but apparently he doesn’t like to use his left foot.

An English corner in stoppage time amounted to nothing. Hargreaves had a nice run to win another corner…it was punched out…Ronaldo went the other way…but he too was unable to beat Robinson.

So without a goal and England down a man since the 62nd minute, the game would labor on for another thirty minutes.

For the first couple minutes it was all Portugal as they showed some patience, but Petit would eventually send it over under some heavy pressure. Crouch would then win a free kick after walking into Carvalho and crumpling over. That would result in a corner that was quickly cleared.

In the 95th, Simao was wide at the far post. Neville would then commit a foul at midfield. Two minutes later Crouch collapsed in a heap after being fairly challenged for the ball, but the Portugal attack failed.

Gerrard won a good decision in the 97th and it was Crouch over the back in the box in the 99th. There was only the slightest of contact, but the Portuguese player did well to make it look worse than it was.

The English had a chance in the 101st. Robinson would make a save following an advantage played for Portugal the following minute. And then Crouch won a foul soon thereafter.

Ronaldo sent a blistering shot over the goal from thrity yards. The restart was a goal kick although Robinson appeared to barely touch it on its way past him; but it was very difficult to tell in real time I’m sure.

And incredibly, THE VERY FIRST OFFSIDE CALL OF THE MATCH WAS MADE IN THE 106TH MINUTE; a testament to the virtually complete lack of attacking play by the teams involved.

A minute later, the ref made a good decision not to award a penalty to England when Lennon was well-defended, but ended up going down in the box. Hargreaves was mightily aggrieved and was finally booked…for dissent.

Another call for offside in the 108th as Postiga scored a goal with his head. But there was no mistaking, he mistimed his run.

Viana was called for a foul throw in the 110th and then a minute later Carvalho was booked for sticking out his ass to knock over Gary Neville as he ran behind the Portuguese defender.

Lennon made a nice run to the end line, but he went too far and let the ball go out of play. Crouchy got all tangled up in his own legs in the 112th. And then Lennon was called for handling in the 113th. Petit was on target a minute later, but right at Robinson as usual.

Crouch was then called for an arm to the back of Carvalho’s head. And in the 118th, a move obviously designed to prepare for the upcoming penalty shootout, Carragher came in for Lennon.

Portugal would have a couple more opportunities, but despite being up a man for nearly sixty minutes of action, were unable to come up with anything positive. To penalty kicks it would go, just like two years earlier when Portugal knocked England out of the European Championships.

First, Simao was perfect as he went left.
Then, Lampard was blocked by Ricardo, who appeared to have been off his line a yard or two at the time of the kick.
Viana clattered the post as Robinson took a cue from Ricardo and came off his line as well.
Hargreaves then went left and off Ricardo’s fingertips to tie things up at one apiece.
Petit was wide left as Robinson was again off his line.
Gerrard was stoned by Ricardo as England were hapless.
Postiga was perfect to the left post.
Carragher turned and shot before the referee’s whistle, so despite knocking his in he’d have to go again. And like everyone but Hargreaves before him, it too was saved.
Up came Ronaldo – the Manchester United midfielder – whose little stutter-step was cute but not against the rules. He found the top netting to make it 3 – 1 with only one left for England.

It was all over, England were out and Big Phil was now undefeated in twelve straight matches. And my earlier prediction of 3 – 1 had come to fruition, but not quite the way I’d expected. Elizondo did a good job keeping control of this one, but the question will always remain as to why he sent off Wayne Rooney. Perhaps only he and the hotheaded young English bloke will ever really know.

After the game was over at the Olympiastadion I stuck around for about fifteen minutes watching the celebrations. The German team went together to each corner of the pitch to thank their fans. And the Argentine team came out for a quick salute to their supporters as well. But they quickly departed, knowing that this was not their day.

The singing by the German faithful in the stands probably went on for quite a while after I left, but I eventually snuck out of the mammoth facility. I didn’t want to get stuck in the foot traffic in order to catch a train and head back to the World Cup Blog HQ about half-an-hour away. I was hoping to get there in time to see the kickoff of the Italy-Ukraine match.

At track 1 I had to wait about ten minutes for a train to come along to take me back to the Alexanderplatz. When it finally arrived, the train was already mostly full, but we all packed in like sardines as if we were in Tokyo. It was uncomfortable to say the least…and about four stops later I had to get out and find a new train since the one I was one wasn’t going any further east.

That one came along just a few minutes later and it was as packed as the one I’d just gotten off. And then I got even more squished when a group of drunk young German girls got on the train and started singing and dancing and jumping up-and-down throughout the entire ride. I appreciated their enthusiasm, but to say that they were being just slightly inconsiderate would’ve been an understatement. I couldn’t wait ‘til either I or they disembarked.

Mercifully, my stop eventually arrived and I headed downstairs, grabbed a Middle Eastern burrito at the place we’d gone the night before – Shark Doner, then headed back down Dirckenstrasse to HQ down on Rochstrasse. I made it upstairs to the 4th floor in the 2nd minute of the match.

And before I could even figure out that it was Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere in charge of this one, Gianluca Zambrotta slipped his marker and drove the ball twenty-five yards to the near post where it eked into the net just off the goalie’s fingertips. Me and my associates were all quite convinced that although only six minutes had been played, this one was already over.

But we continued to watch anyway, wondering if Sheva & Co. could stage a surprising comeback. At some point in the early going, one of my new friends at World Cup Blog hq asked me about the fisticuffs at midfield after Germany’s penalty-kick victory over Argentina. I told him that I had no idea what he was talking about and I doubt hardly anybody else in the stadium did either as it was pure pandemonium everywhere around me. People were too overjoyed to notice that one of the Argentine players was going a little loco and that there was a brief melee of sorts that quickly dissipated.

In the 16th Sviderskiy was booked for a challenge from behind and five minutes later Kalinichenko was cautioned for the same thing when he wasn’t even close to the ball; a very easy card to give.

In the 23rd, an Italian striker went down in the box and there was no call – the correct decision based on the body language and reaction by the player after he got up.

Ten minutes later, Sheva’s former AC Milan teammate, Gennaro Gattuso, apologized to the future Chelsea man after committing a foul against him. Soon thereafter I noted that De Bleeckere was calling a lot of little fouls to keep the players in line. In the next minute the AR spotted one of Shevchenko’s more deceptive habits, “chesting” the ball down with the help of his upper arm. He was called once again for a similar act when the referee spotted him trying to control the ball with his arm in the penalty area. Sheva protested that it wasn’t deliberate, but he definitely stuck his arm out.

With only that early goal separating the two teams as the second half began, Buffon made a great save on a close-range header and then clanged his head against the post. Fortunately, the ground absorbed most of the impact and his melon stopped ringing shortly thereafter.

In the 55th I was surprised to see De Bleeckere keep his card in his pocket on two successive Ukrainian fouls. And then three minutes later the Italians dodged another bullet when two close-range efforts were stopped – the first by Buffon and the second by a defender’s leg. The counter-attack was swift for Italy and they would quickly score their second when Totti sent it into the middle for Toni to knock in with his head from four yards out.

But the Ukrainians wouldn’t give up so easily and almost scored again in the 62nd with a header of their own off a free kick. It was the crossbar that saved the Italians this time.

In the 67th, the striker Milevskiy came in studs-up on wild challenge near midfield that, had he connected, surely would’ve been a red card. But since he didn’t, he rightfully only earned a caution and a few words of admonishment from the referee.

Two minutes later it was game over as it was once again Zambrotta doing all the work before poking it across the face of the goal to an unmarked Luca Toni who easily tapped it in for Italy’s third from only three yards in front.

At that point, after a very busy couple of days, I began to doze in and out of the very non-controversial final quarter-hour of the match. I did note that near the end of the game Shevchenko was correctly called for a foul in the Italian penalty area as it was he who initiated the contact, not the Italian defender.

It wasn’t long after that that the final whistle ended this convincing victory for Italy on a night when Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere did exactly what needed to be done in order ensure that fair play reigned supreme on this day.

Before telling about the match I attended today at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, I’d like to take you back to yesterday. After arriving here at 5 Rochstrasse near the Alexanderplatz in what used to be East Berlin, I settled in by doing some blogging and getting to know the half-dozen-or-so guys hanging around www.worldcupblog.org ‘s Berlin headquarters.

After a while, we all headed out to celebrate Bob Kellett’s birthday. He’s our spiritual leader and chief blogger. I had only met the mellow maestro earlier that evening as well as all but two of the crew – who came from such distant places as Indonesia, Romania, and the city I lived in for fifteen years and will probably be living in again someday…Portland, Oregon.

Several German beers were consumed by us all in Hakescher Market – a nearby square packed with people excited about the next day’s quarterfinal match. Sometime after midnight we headed back to HQ and I was ready to call it a night, a little jet-lagged from my ridiculously long twenty-four hours of travel, but most of the gang headed out for one more just a few doors down from our pad at a place called The Co-op. I was talked into going because the leftist proprietor is staunchly anti-Bush and his place is littered with all sorts of posters, fliers, artwork, literature, and even clothing with that message.

And since I love America but not its leader, I was curious to check this place out…and have another beer. But as 1am came and went I began to fade and started to browse some of the ladies’ fashions to perhaps buy a unique gift for Jill. While I was browsing some funky doubloons, a recognizable-looking character walked in and glanced at me as he passed by.

I continuing with what I was doing, thinking how good Jill might look in those politically-charged capris covered in pretty daisies and anti-Bush rhetoric. But moments later, the familiar-looking guy said, “Cor-Man?” And that’s when I realized that the reason he seemed so familiar was because I actually know him.

It was a guy named DJ who went to college with a good friend of mine at the University of Vermont. DJ lives in San Francisco now and runs a soccer program of some kind and coaches a bunch too…I think. Anyway, last time I saw him was a few years ago when I was visiting some friends in the Bay Area and hooked up with him for a beer one night in the Castro District.

So anyway, there I was in Berlin for less than eight hours, and as so often happens to me, I had already crossed paths with an old friend. I thought that was pretty cool.

But you’re probably more interested in my day at the Olympiastadion and the titanic clash between hosts Germany and South American heavyweights Argentina. After writing all morning and then napping in the early afternoon, still a little battered from jet-lag, my new friend/colleague Nick – who lives in Bali and works as a travel writer for a website (www.bootsnall.com) that’s operated by the same guys who operate this one – and I headed out around two o’clock.

We hit the nearby Hakescher Market train station and arrived at the Olympiastadion half-an-hour later. Nick wasn’t going to the game, he was on assignment to take as many photos as possible of the supporters in their creative costumes and plumage. To see some of what we saw, check out http://photos.worldcupblog.org and click on the photos for June 30th, 2006.

Anyway, it was a pretty lively scene to say the least, but around quarter-to-four I finally headed through the turnstile and made my way around the stadium made famous by Jesses Owens’ four gold medals in the 1936 Summer Olympics, with Hitler looking on from the stands. On the way to my seats I picked up a few reasonably priced souvenirs and then headed up the stairs to the interior of the massive structure.

By 4:15 –forty-five minutes before kickoff – I had found my seat near one of the corners of the pitch and about thirty or forty rows back above the track that surrounds the field. As I watched the players and referees go through their pre-match drills, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through Slovakian official Lubos Michel’s mind. This was likely the biggest game he’d ever officiated and the stakes were immense for everyone involved.

Meanwhile, as balls were being kicked about by teams at both ends of the pitch, a specially-designed piece of fabric covered the center circle, which read “A time to make friends…Say no to racism.” It’s a message that I hope people carry with them throughout all the days of their lives.

Ironically, when my neighbors to my right found their seats, racism was one of the first topics we spoke about. One of ‘em noticed the Spain jacket I was wearing and commented that he’d been at the game with France a few days earlier. He was happy that France had won because of the overtly racist comments their coach Luis Aragones had made about Thierry Henry in the past. It’s what led Henry to work with Nike to start the ‘Stand Up, Speak Up’ campaign. And even though I like Spain the country and its people, Spain the team, and many of its players, I also was happy in a way to see Spain go down to France because it was a vindication of sorts for Henry to defeat his racist nemesis Aragones.

So as it turns out, my new friends to my right met in college at American University in D.C. and currently hail from Seattle and Dortmund, respectively. But even the German guy spoke virtually perfect English, so we had a running dialogue together throughout the match.

As the action was about to get underway, I noted to myself that this would be the first game where I wouldn’t have the benefit of instant replay, and being so far from the action I’d have to give the referee the benefit-of-the-doubt on most of his decisions. Plus, as I wanted to actually SEE the game, I didn’t note every detail of the action.

In the moments leading up to kickoff, the announcer told the audience that today was the 5th Annual FIFA Anti-Discrimination Day. Michael Ballack and Juan Pablo Sorin – the respective team captains – each spoke eloquently on this topic; and I hope that their words resonated with the hundreds of millions of people watching around the world.

Then it came time for the national anthems; first Argentina’s which began like a beautiful waltz but concluded in a more stately fashion, and then the German’s which had a not-so-surprisingly Wagnerian feel as the crowd joined in. After the obligatory pre-match photo with the teams and referees, the action quickly commenced.

It didn’t take long to realize that this was going to be a physical affair and that Michel would have his hands full. And as soon as the visitors would gain possession of the ball, the majority of the sellout crowd of 72,000 filled the stadium with a cacophonous whistle that pierced the air and our ears.

It was like a symphony of sorts because when the Germans gained possession the crowd would suddenly rise to its feet in unison and break out into song. The most common and familiar refrain was “Deutschland! Deutschland! Deutschland! Deutschland!” that sometimes I even found myself joining in even though in my heart I was hoping that the side from South America would reign supreme on this most auspicious of footballing occasions.

In only the 3rd minute of the match Michel was on the spot to stop a fray after an Argentine went down after being fouled. Perhaps this is why he felt it necessary to keep the players on a very short leash, calling things quite tightly from the get-go.

In the 7th minute he was on the spot for a foul against Germany, but the thirty-yard effort was directly at Abbondanzieri. Two minutes later the whistles were deafening as Argentina set up to take a corner kick at the end closest to where I was seated.

In the 10th Michel called a foul for Argentina when I think they might’ve preferred to just keep the ball moving since they never lost possession, but Michel was on a mission to not let this match get away from him.

Crowd-favorite Lukas Podolski won a throw-in for the Germans down deep in the 13th, but the play soon ended with an offside. Two minutes later ‘the wave’ began to work its way around the stadium. My neighbor from Dortmund told me that ever since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, the Germans have always been fond of this crowd ritual.

And perhaps this was the collective response to get the home side motivated since, unlike most of their other games so far, they failed to take the early lead. Perhaps this wasn’t destined to be a goal-fest as both teams were having difficulty finding the target.

Ballack’s effort with his head narrowly missed the goal in the 17th and seconds later Mertesacher’s thirty-five yard effort was well over the crossbar. Back at our end again Sorin and Tevez did well to win a corner on a nice give-and-go, but the near post kick by Riquelme was pretty useless and went over the end line.

Both teams were playing a lot in the midfield with few good opportunities. In fact, Argentina was having the better possessions and would often have the ball quickly returned to them by the German defenders who seemed nervous with the rock at their feet.

In the 24th a long flowing Argentine build-up was well defended and a minute later Michel overturned his linesman by giving the ball to Argentina. The AR did have a better angle on it, but he should’ve probably waited to let Michel make the call since the ball wasn’t on his end of the pitch. This would’ve prevented them from having an opposite opinion, which doesn’t look so good from a fan’s perspective.

In the 29th Crespo was called for handling the ball in the box and a minute later Podolski let the ref know how he felt about the call against Schweinsteiger at the other end.

The Argentines had a nice buildup that led to a free kick for Argentina in the 34th. Michel spotted the ball before moving into the proper position. After the ball had come out and then gone the other direction, an infraction of some kind occurred and Michel had the two players come together to shake hands…the kind of thing that’s useful to both control the game as well as settle the crowd down as well. The ensuing Argentine free kick resulted in a foul in the box in favor of Germany.

The Assistant Ref called a foul for Germany in the 39th, but Argentina quickly regained possession and Tevez tried to force his way through the German defense, but got closed off – losing the ball in the process.

Soon thereafter Tevez won a call in his own defense that was called by the AR on the far side of the pitch. And as Germany broke up yet another Argentine attack, they quickly returned the ball to their South American opponents with a long clearance. It surely wasn’t part of Klinsmann’s game-plan and was likely to be rectified in the second half.

During stoppage time, the AR called a foul for Ballack near the penalty area, but nothing came of that attack. And at the break, the match was surprisingly still scoreless. The German fans seemed only marginally disappointed because at least they were still very much in the game despite only minimal offensive opportunities.

As the second half got underway, Michel was quick to let the players know that he wasn’t about to let this one get away from him. HE was in control and the first caution was issued in only the 46th minute as an Argentine defender – Sorin I think, although it was hard to tell from my seat – was beaten in the corner nearest where I was seated and committed a foul to prevent the attack from continuing beyond him.

But that opportunity would never develop into much for the Germans and the Argentine attack-machine chugged back the other direction towards the end where their fans were mostly situated. They managed to win a corner in the 49th and from that, the visitors suddenly and decisively broke through with a powerful close-range header by Valencia defender Roberto Ayala, who managed to rise above everyone and win the ball for his team and country.

And with that, it suddenly felt as though someone had just died as the stadium fell immediately and eerily silent, stunned by their collective turn in fortune. The dramatic silence of the home fans seemed in a way to mute the enthusiasm and exuberance of the Argentinean fans, who were already making emphatic and vocal gestures in the moments leading up to the goal.

But by the 52nd minute the sadness had turned around and the German fans were back on their feet supporting every attack by their side. Ballack made a terrific cross, but the play would eventually die with a call for offside.

Both Tevez and Ayala would be whistled for fouls in successive plays, but they’d win the ball back and benefit from what seemed like a call that should’ve been made when one of them or their teammates seemingly handled the ball in defense. But me and my neighbors didn’t have the best view of things from nearly eighty yards away, so I have no idea what really happened as the Argentine counter-attack was eventually stymied.

In the 60th minute there was another caution for an Argentinean (#8 I believe) who slid to block the ball, but somehow got a piece of Bernd Schneider instead, just outside the penalty area to the left of the goalie. The ensuing free kick was a complete horror show and sent out over the end line on the other side of the goal. Another wasted opportunity for the Germans.

Minutes later it was the fresh-legged Odonkor who replaced the relatively useless Schneider. He made an immediate impact with his mazy runs, helping to win a corner kick in the 64th. It seemed like the Germans should have put one in here as they had two good chances, including a close-range blast from Ballack that was directly at a defender. Abbondanzieri eventually collected the ball, but put it immediately out of play because a German player was down…and maybe he was hurt too or did he pull something when he tossed it out of touch? It was hard to tell.

But in any event, the crowd was incensed at what they perceived as gamesmanship and time-wasting by the Argentine goalie, letting him know it with more deafeningly piercing whistles. When he did eventually get back up on his feet, Ballack returned the ball to Argentina.

It was the Germans who now seemed to be controlling the flow of things as they’d quickly win another corner that was headed out by the defense. And then in the 69th as Germany was about to take a free kick from approximately forty yards from goal, Abbodanzieri went down again. Surely he couldn’t be faking things me and my neighbors surmised. This seemed legit as it was just too blatant that he’d do such a thing.

But the German whistles rained down once again, even continuing when it became clear that Argentina’s #1 keeper could not continue. Moments after the switch was made the free kick was taken and went nowhere near the intended target.

At this point both coaches began making some tactical decisions as Argentina tried to hold their slim advantage and Germany were desperate to get one back in the final twenty minutes or else find their World Cup dreams coming to an end. Esteban Cambiasso came in for a surprisingly invisible Juan Roman Riquelme – whose primary contribution to the match had been to supply Ayala’s goal on the corner kick. Moments later it was Germany who would bring on super sub Tim Borowski for an ineffective Bastian Schweinsteiger, whose touch kept defying him throughout the match.

Maxi Rodriguez – or M-Rod as I refer to him in my shorthand notations – received a nice ball on the right side of the penalty area but only managed to find the side netting. On the very next play he went down with an injury near the touchline and Lehmann came racing out of his goal to shout at the Argentinean to get up and stop wasting time. With the referee’s insistence, he quickly complied.

Germany would go back on the attack and win a free kick from twenty-seven with a quarter-hour remaining on the clock. That was a fruitless effort, but two minutes later a long-range shot by Germany was almost mishandled by the reserve keeper for Argentina who eventually pounced on it.

In the 78th, Pekerman finally took off a useless and aging Hernan Crespo, but surprisingly replaced him with another striker, Julio Cruz. Me and my neighbors thought that Argentina (as well as the spectators at the stadium and the viewers around the world) could have benefited from the quick footwork and ball-control skills of Leonel Mesi…or perhaps even Pablo Aimar. But a lanky forward was not what Argentina needed at this point in the match with a goal advantage.

And sure enough, Germany’s strategy – and not Argentina’s – would quickly pay off when the also-somewhat-invisible heart of the German midfield, Michael Ballack, sent the ball into the middle from the left where it found the head of Tim Borowski who redirected it to sharp-shooter Miroslav Klose (who’s on his way to winning the Golden Boot) who wrong-footed the keeper by nodding it back to the left post and into the goal. I was making a notation at the time of Ballack’s cross and looked up just in time to see Klose head the ball in thanks to the ecstatic rumblings of the sellout crowd.

It was complete hysteria as flags were waving and songs were being sung – the game all tied up at one with only ten minutes left to play. From this point on everybody was on their feet as the action flowed from end to end.

The final sub of the match came in the 86th minute when Oliver Neuville replaced a tiring Klose, who had done his work for the day. The crowd thought Neuville was fouled in the 87th minute, but Michel signaled otherwise. And a minute later it was M-Rod’s turn to win a caution for taking a dive that seemed like the right call to me from a hundred yards away. Lehmann’s derisive and angry reaction towards his opponent seemed to bolster the referee’s decision as well.

A good offside decision was made a minute later as an Argentine attacker was directly in front of Lehmann on a shot that seemed to have gone out for a corner. But I allayed my neighbors’ fears on this one as I had spotted the infraction as the shot was taken, then noticed the Assistant Referee’s flag at the very far corner of the pitch.

Argentina would win a corner in stoppage time…the game would flow back and forth…and then Odonkor was rightfully booked for a challenge from behind in the dying moments of the match. And at the end of the full ninety minutes, the teams were still knotted up at a goal apiece. The compelling drama would continue for at least another half-hour as those of us in attendance had definitely gotten our money’s worth on this auspicious occasion.

The Argentinean fans were going wild at the other end of the pitch as the first overtime got underway, but the home supporters were soon back on their feet and singing for their team and country.

In the 91st the referee could’ve played advantage, but chose not to in order to tend to a German player injured on the pitch. Two minutes later Tevez seemed to be hurt, but his trainer refused to come out to take a look, insisting that the young superstar get back on his feet and stop pretending. This charade continued for almost a minute or so until Tevez actually went over for a bit of treatment before hustling back onto the pitch. In the end, I think he must’ve had a bit of a knock…or was he just tired?

Cruz was booked for using his arm or elbow on an aerial ball…and then Sorin took down Odonkor after the wily German had slipped his defender.

In the 98th there was a slip, or so it seemed, that ended up being a foul coming out of defense for Argentina. The Germans would win a corner in the 101st as Ballack could barely walk due to some kind of injury…perhaps his calf. The sing-song chanting of “Deutschland!” wasn’t enough to give the Germans the lead…and then in the 103rd a nice Argentine build-up ended up dying as the ball was in the clutches of Jens Lehmann.

Tevez’s 105th minute shot would go wide and the first overtime period would come to an end. As we had all been on our feet for the past half-hour, I noted that Lubos Michel had done an excellent job controlling what had had the potential to be a difficult match. With only fifteen minutes left to play, he had remained free from controversy and allowed the game to flow as much as was possible.

At the start of the final fifteen minutes Lehmann grabbed a long Tevez strike. And a couple minutes later Podolski was stripped and ended up on the ground, but Michel made a good decision not to blow his whistle for a foul.

Argentina won a corner in the 108th minute…it was cleared…and the play would eventually end with an offside decision. The Germans were on the attack in the 110th, but that too would end with a foul by the offense in their opponents’ penalty area. A corner kick for Argentina a minute later posed no threat as it was blasted well beyond the penalty area.

Frings lost out on a tough call at midfield and then Coloccini’s long-range effort was well wide of the target. Two minutes later the Germans would be booked – I didn’t see who – for a rough challenge. On the very next play an Argentinean sent a long lofting ball towards goal, hoping to catch Lehmann off guard. But the effort clanged off the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick, otherwise, the German keeper might’ve had a tough time keeping that one out of the back of his net. It had shades of David Seaman’s blunder against Ronaldinho four years earlier.

Germany had their best chance since their goal when Odonkor beat his marker down in the corner, but then crossed the ball right to the keeper’s waiting arms. He really should have done better here.

In the 116th an Argentine attacker stopped an attack with a foul and was cautioned for his efforts despite trying to argue that his opponent had taken a dive.

Julio Cruz was stripped of the ball a minute later…the German counter was stymied…the Argentineans were back on the attack…and the shot went well over the bar.

Argentina were called for offside in the 119th minute, but managed to earn a free kick in the 120th when the AR waved his flag to indicate a foul. Their effort was cleared from danger and the referee blew for full time before they had a chance to restart with a throw-in.

After 120 minutes of compelling theater, the winner would have to be decided by kicks from the spot. It’s a method I’m not particularly fond of, but definitely results in a dramatic finish.

And here’s how it went as everyone was still on their feet in gripped suspense…

Now, before the kicks were taken at the far end of the stadium in front of the Argentine fans, the big screen showed Oliver Kahn wishing his rival and teammate Jens Lehmann well.

The Germans kicked first and…

1) Oliver Neuville blasted it into the top-right corner…
2) Argentina’s Julio Cruz matched that effort and went top-left…and Lehmann had barely missed it, guessing the right way…
3) The injured Michael Ballack was Germany’s #2 kicker and he blasted it in as the keeper guessed the wrong way…
4) The Argentine goal-scoring defender Roberto Ayala apparently hoped that Lehmann would guess the wrong way, but he didn’t; and his weak roller to the right was easily saved. The partisan crowd went wild!!!
5) Podolski whacked it to the right with his left foot; the keeper guessing the wrong way again…and the German enthusiasm was building and the tension was palpable…
6) M-Rod’s shot to the left post was perfectly placed and barely beat the German keeper…
7) Borowski was on target as once again the Argentine goalie guessed the wrong way…
8) Cambaisso needed to score to keep Argentina alive…and everyone knew it. The nearly perfect Lehmann was right on cue again, diving to his left to block the Argentine effort, thus securing a historic German victory against Argentina, 4 – 2 on penalties, at the Olympiastadion!!

The place went berserk the moment Lehmann touched the ball and the collective sense of relief and joy was overwhelming even though I had wanted Argentina to win the match. It’s most assuredly a feeling that I’ll likely never experience for the rest of my life. For how often will I see a victory by the home team in such a dramatic World Cup match?

Congratulations to Germany and their fans on this unforgettable occasion. And to Lubos Michel, thank you too for doing your part in making this an incredible footballing spectacle.

It would be unthinkable to compare the dashing Roberto Rosetti to the somewhat frightening visage of Pierluigi Collina on looks alone, but when it comes to refereeing competency, the Italian referee who wasn’t originally chosen to work at this year’s Finals has proven to be amongst the very best in the world. The Round of 16 clash between European heavyweights Spain and France would certainly prove to be a challenging test as they squared off in Hanover, but Rosetti would show us all why he deserves to be considered by FIFA to officiate one or more of the tournament’s eight remaining matches.

In only the game’s first minute, Ribery was held and his jersey tugged. A minute later Spain committed their first foul of the match when David Villa took down defender Willy Sagnol. On the next offensive series for Spain, Villa was way offside, but the pass was out of his reach anyway. Proving he was a force to be reckoned with, Villa went up for a high ball in the 5th, but Barthez was there to snare it before the Spaniard could get his head to it.

Shortly thereafter we got a good look at Rosetti’s confidence and command of the match when he reversed the decision to award France a corner kick, instead giving Spain a free kick for a call against Thierry Henry for handling the ball. It seemed as though the headset technology was employed here and that effective communication had been used by Rosetti and his Assistant at that end of the pitch. Although the French players seemed confused by this reversal, Henry must’ve had a good idea of what was happening since the replay clearly showed that he used his hand to try to control the ball before it went out of play over the end line and not off the Spanish defender as first thought.

The referee called a foul on a French corner kick that was difficult to spot in real time. But the replay clearly showed that Patrick Vieira had climbed over the back of a defender. Moments later Thuram thumped David Villa. The ensuing free kick by Pernia just missed the far upper left corner of the goal.

Sergio Ramos was fouled in the 11th and a minute later Henry’s shot from just inside the penalty area was fired directly at Casillas. Raul was whistled for a handball moments later when the ball bounded off his knee and into his outstretched arm. On the next play Zidane was just barely offside, acknowledging as much to the Assistant Referee with his thumb and index finger about an inch apart and a wry smile on his face. It was a moment of levity during the opening stages of this intense affair.

Zidane seemed like a man renewed as he won a corner in the 16th, but nothing came of that. Three minutes later Xavi knocked over Malouda, bringing to an end a long Spanish possession. Torres was pulled down a minute later and then France would win a call at midfield. Rosetti was allowing the game to flow, but still calling the necessary fouls to keep the players happy.

In the 23rd Henry looked miffed as he was stripped, but there was no foul. After they won the ball back, Henry received a pass on the right and sent it across the middle, but neither Ribery nor Vieira were able latch onto it as it went through the goal area.

Right after Vieira’s third foul, in the 26th minute, Spain worked the ball into the penalty area and it was Pablo who was about to receive the ball about fifteen yards from goal as he faced the other direction. But he never did have the chance to collect the pass as Lillian Thuram stepped onto the back of his foot and bumped him before the ball ever arrived.

Again, you may say that it wasn’t much of a foul, but it was surely enough to prevent the attacker from making a fair play for the ball. It was a poor decision by Thuram, one that was immediately whistled as Rosetti pointed demonstratively to the penalty spot.

Valencia’s David Villa stepped up to take the kick and Barthez guessed the right way, but Villa’s shot had just enough pace and placement to beat the outstretched keeper. Spain were up 1 – nil in the 28th minute.

Right after the goal with the ball in play, the AR waved his flag to alert Rosetti about an extra ball on the pitch. Spain returned the ball to France to restart the match.

Malouda was offside in the 30th and a minute later the referee would warn the Frenchman about grabbing or obstructing the keeper right before his team took a corner. Spain would clear it, but the French retained possession until Henry was flagged for offside.

In the 32nd, Torres was called for handling the ball and showed his disagreement with that decision. Sagnol fouled Pernia after the play in the 33rd. And then Xavi was called for a minor infraction as it appeared that Rosetti was tightening things up a bit.

Ribery drew a foul at midfield in the 35th, but the French attack was once again stymied by an offside flag against Henry. Ramos was whistled for blocking Malouda’s path in the 36th and Makelele did the same thing against Torres a minute later.

In the 38th it was Zidane who knocked Xavi off the ball and Alonso obstructed Malouda a few seconds later. Henry was offside yet again in the 39th and again in the 41st, but on the latter occasion the ball was played to an onside Franck Ribery whose well-timed surge through Spain’s backline left only Iker Casillas to beat. And just as I saw last year in Valencia against Bosnia, the striker went left to Casillas’ right before providing just enough pace on the ball to beat two Spaniards across the goal line. Things were knotted up at a goal apiece right before the half.

In the 43rd Torres went down in the French penalty area, but Rosetti waved for him to get up as no foul had been committed. Rather, it was simply Torres’ own momentum that took him to ground after an out-of-control dash into the box.

And moments after a ball was played too far ahead of Henry, it was halftime and Jill and I were off to Calway’s Grill around the corner from the airport. My plan was to watch the second half there – hopeful that the game would end without going into overtime – and then head over to catch the first leg of my flight to Berlin, giving me little more than an hour to check in and reach my gate.

So it was still 1 – all in the 50th minute when Jill and I arrived at our destination about twenty minutes later. In the 52nd, Zidane sent a wonderful through-ball to Malouda whose dink shot forced a tough save by Casillas.

And in the 54th Spain brought in fresh legs in the form of Joaquin and Luis Garcia. A minute later Pernia fouled Sagnol after the French defender unintentionally played the ball with his hand when he slid on the turf.

Pernia committed another foul in the 56th, for an arm on Zidane’s shoulder, but the free kick amounted to nothing when Rosetti whistled for an obstruction of the Spanish keeper.

In the 57th we’d see one of the few bad refereeing decisions of the match as Xavi appeared to be kept onside by a defender on the other side of the pitch. But I think Xavi screened the AR from seeing that man.

Malouda was whistled for tugging Garcia’s jersey and then Joaquin would smile at Rosetti after being called for holding Malouda. Pernia then committed his third foul in the past ten minutes…the ball soon went back the other way and across the French goal-mouth before it was cleared by Sagnol.

The Frenchman cleared another dangerous ball in the 60th and then Ramos made a solid defensive effort to force a French corner kick that amounted to nothing. In the 62nd Casillas was fouled by Thuram and then in the 63rd Vieira committed a little foul, but his tally was building up and I wondering how many more it would be before he’d get booked.

As it was, only one more foul actually. First, he was called for handling the ball and then right before Vieira’s booking in the 68th, Abidal was told by Rosetti to apologize to a Spaniard for coming in late on him. More good stuff from the referee.

So then after Vieira’s caution for Persistent Infringement following his fifth foul of the match, Joaquin held Sagnol and was then told by the referee to put the ball down. Henry was offside soon thereafter and then in the 71st Casillas came out to clear the ball after a French attacker was in alone onside.

I was beginning to worry that no more goals would be scored and I’d miss the conclusion of this compelling match while I waited on line at the airport.

Pernia committed his fourth or fifth foul of the match when the AR called him for holding Malouda. Rosetti again warned the players about grabbing before the free kick was sent into the Spanish penalty area and Malouda would be called for a foul moments later.

There was a short stoppage after Vieira accidentally poked Torres in the eye as the Frenchman ran away from his pursuer. In the 74th, Rosetti went over to the Spanish bench to tell Luis Aragones – their racist coach – to sit down after too much protesting about the finger in the eye. Rosetti was not about to let Aragones dictate things as play continued on.

Spain returned the ball to France on the restart…Zidane was fouled and then Marcos Senna committed another Spanish foul on the other side of the field as things were getting tense entering the final quarter-hour of the match.

Sagnol committed a foul about forty yards from goal in the 77th and then Ramos may have been trying to win a penalty with a dive, but the ref wasn’t buying it and no card was shown as I’m sure Rosetti made a mental note.

Joaquin hit the side-netting from close-range and a tight angle in the 79th and Ramos was guilty of a foul shortly thereafter on an aerial ball. A couple minutes after that Henry and Puyol were racing across the pitch for a ball and Puyol moved slightly into Henry’s path and stuck an arm out in the process as the speedier Frenchman tried to get around him. As Rosetti was directly behind the two players, he probably had a good angle on the infraction he spotted. The replay wasn’t quite as conclusive, but I think Rosetti got it right. And if it was a foul, then the booking seemed justified as well since it was committed in order to slow down the French counter-attack.

The ensuing free kick was crossed over the top by Zidane from about forty yards out. After making its way through a sea of players, Vieira was there at the far post to nod it down and off the leg of a Spanish defender – Ramos I believe – and into the net. It’s quite possible that Casillas would’ve had it if not for Ramos’ touch, but the point is moot as France took a stunning lead with less than ten minutes remaining to play.

Henry was offside, AGAIN, in the 87th and moments later Vieira was called for a foul that Ribery didn’t like. He was booked for kicking the ball away. Barthez punched the free kick away and Garcia would win a corner…and then another…and then Barthez was bumped, but he’d saved it anyway.

In the 90th Garcia was rightly called for a hand to Thuram’s face and in stoppage time Zidane was booked for stepping on the foot of a Spaniard as they were about to initiate a counter-attack. But maybe that gave him a jolt of adrenaline because the following minute he received the ball in an onside position on the left, bided his time, faked out Puyol, and then buried it from about twelve yards out to secure the victory for Les Bleus.

This compelling encounter between these two western European neighbors would end 3 – 1 for France, who would now pass through to the quarterfinals for a rematch of the 1998 World Cup final with Brazil. In all likelihood, after a performance like that, Rosetti was also likely bound for the final eight…and I was bound for Germany as I darted out the door with Jill.

Until next time…

peace,
ac

p.s. As a postscript, flooding rains along the East Coast kept me from leaving that night and I worried that my revised plans to travel the following day might get scuppered as well since there was no letup in the heavy weather. But I did eventually make it to Berlin about twenty-four hours before the kickoff between Germany and Argentina.

With Chelsea star Michael Essien out due to accumulated red cards, Ghana’s starting XI would have to rise to the occasion against their heroes from Brazil. In the middle of this one in Dortmund was experienced Slovakian referee Lubos Michel. While he put in a respectable days’ work in this compelling encounter, I would argue that one of his assistants committed an error rarely seen at this World Cup – he allowed Adriano’s goal right before halftime, Brazil’s second, to stand even though it really seemed that the powerful striker was in an offside position when the ball was played to him.

But let’s start from the beginning as usual.

In only the first minute of the match that very same assistant made the correct call in raising his flag when Ronaldo was clearly offside. Two minutes later Muntari checked Ze Roberto off the ball and Michel raced over to the spot of the foul to let his presence be known.

And then in only the game’s fifth minute, Kaka sent forward a perfectly-timed through-ball to an onside Ronaldo who had nobody left to beat other than Kingson – Ghana’s keeper. At the top of the penalty area, Ronaldo faked right then darted left before passing the ball into the empty net. The goal – the ‘overweight’, buck-toothed Brazilian’s 15th in World Cup history – now places him all alone at the top of that list, surpassing German legend Gerd Muller.

Shortly after that, Ghana would receive the first of their six yellow cards when Appiah was a little late to the ball as he fouled Kaka from behind. Three minutes later, in the 10th, Michel merely warned rather than cautioning one of the Ghanaians for a handball. But only a minute after that it was Muntari’s turn to see yellow with a reckless swing of the leg from behind that found Lucio’s thigh. The record-setting parade of cards would continue with this, the 300th caution of the tournament…in addition to the twenty-four reds previously issued as well.

Keeping Brazil honest in the 13th, the referee booked Adriano – who actually looked slightly offside as he too beat Ghana’s seemingly ineffective trap – for a dive after he was in on goal alone and should’ve done better. The Inter Milan striker bumbled the ball a bit as he entered the penalty area, eventually choosing to take a fall when he was challenged rather than pass the ball square to his right to Ronaldo. Dives are always a little tough to catch, but Michel did well on this occasion to show the players that he would be watchful of their games of deception.

In the 15th Michel warned another Ghanaian after committing a foul. I applaud him for speaking to the players when the opportunity seemed right.

Draman’s forty-yard blast forced Dida to tip it over for a corner in the 19th minute. But the Ghana attack would end with a very close offside call as the striker was leaning beyond the plane of all the Brazilian defenders.

Amoah was unmarked and a couple feet wide of the target in the 24th and a minute later Ghana would win the ball back with a beautiful open field tackle on Kaka.

In the 29th Amoah shot the ball through a defender’s legs, but the effort was directly at Dida. Moments later going the other way Kaka was once again tripped from behind and the guilty party – Paintsil – was entered into the referee’s book.

A minute after that the ball was cleared off the Ghana goal-line and the counter-attack ended with a shot way over the bar.

Appiah was called for dangerous play in the 34th when he showed his studs with a high boot that made no contact. No card was issued and in the next minute it was Brazil’s Juan who I thought might have gotten away with a foul after losing the ball. In the 38th the Ghanaian Addo would receive his team’s fourth booking of the game when he tackled Adriano from behind as the large Brazilian lumbered towards goal up the middle of the park.

Ghana were terribly unfortunate not tie things up in the 42nd as Mensah managed a close-range free header from a corner. But the ball was knocked right at Dida’s foot and he reacted well to preserve Brazil’s narrow advantage.

A minute later the ref did a great job. Juan committed a rash challenge, but Michel played the advantage for Ghana; and when it didn’t develop he called the original foul and booked the Brazilian for his actions.

In stoppage time Michel played another excellent advantage in the Brazilian defense and the counter-attack was swift. Lucio wisely played it out to the right to an onside Cafu rather than to the left where Adriano was in an offside position. The venerable defender sprinted down the flank before returning the ball back to the middle where the ball found Adriano’s left thigh just a few yards in front of the goal at the far post to score his country’s 200th goal in World Cup history. And with that, Brazil managed to take a two-goal lead into the dressing room, despite, as most observers would probably agree, being outplayed by the debutant Ghanaians.

And it was really a shame too because although the angle of the replay wasn’t right in-line with last defender, it really did appear that Adriano was beyond everyone except for the goalie when the pass was made to him by Cafu. But despite protests from the Black Star players and their coaching staff, the goal would stand. Brazil 2 – Ghana nil.

I’ve often argued that you rarely see incorrect offside decisions go the way of the offense, but I believe this was one such incident. Again, providing further evidence for the argument that perhaps the offside rule should be cast off into the garbage heap of history.

In the 48th minute Asamoah was called for a slight bump on Cafu. The Ghanaian didn’t like the call and showed as much by kicking the ball into the stands. For this, the player was rightfully booked.

A graphic shortly thereafter showed that the game had been relatively clean up to that point – only twenty-one fouls in the 49th minute. One foul every three minutes or so is the mark of a pretty clean game at this level, or so it seems.

Ghana wasn’t letting off one bit as they continued to play brilliantly in the early stages of the second half. They are a great team and should’ve gotten more respect from the American press and others. It’s no wonder that they managed to win against Bruce Arena’s squad.

In the 53rd Amoah got a good talking-to by Michel after he took down Roberto Carlos from behind. Soon thereafter Adriano was rightfully called for a foul. And again it was only a short speech from the ref after Draman clipped Lucio from behind.

In the 57th Roberto Carlos beat the trap once again on a through-ball, but he should’ve done better than ripping it right at Kingson for the save. Later that same minute Draman was fortunate to stay out of the referee’s book when he came in late with an off-the-ball shoulder charge. And soon thereafter we’d learn that Ghana’s coach had been told to leave the bench before halftime after his vehement disagreement with Adriano’s seemingly offside goal in stoppage time. Dissent would have only earned him a caution so we can only assume that his language must have been more of the foul and abusive variety.

In the 60th, Ghana’s header off a corner was wide of the post. And five minutes later Ronaldo was offside by about a yard on a poorly timed run.

Shilla was called for showing his studs on a 50/50 ball. Marcelo Balboa didn’t think the foul was justified since no contact was actually made. Had that been the case though, Shilla probably would’ve been issued a yellow card as well.

In the 69th Dida made a great save then pounced on the loose ball to preserve his shutout. Five minutes later it was Ghana’s goalie who did well when he came out beyond the box to head the ball away from danger after a Brazilian player once again beat the offside trap.

In the 76th Balboa dissed on Ronaldinho, arguing that his play with Brazil at the tournament so far isn’t up to World Footballer of the Year standards. And while he might have a bit of a point, this is a team of superstars and perhaps it’s not really Ronaldinho’s job to have the same kind of role and impact that he does at Barcelona. I’ll reserve judgment on his performance at the World Cup once Brazil’s tournament is over.

Ironically, in the 79th minute, Ronaldinho’s giveaway in midfield resulted in Asamoah’s shot directly at Dida from the top the of the penalty area. And a minute later Paintsil forced his keeper to make a tough ‘save’ to prevent an own goal.

And in the 81st the match was effectively over when Asamoah’s blatant attempt to deceive the referee with a dive was met with his second caution of the match and Ghana were reduced to ten men. And on this I’ll agree with Balboa – that the referee was consistent on this issue, booking Adriano early in the match and then again with this against the Ghanaian near the end.

A minute later Ze Roberto was fouled late and it could’ve been yellow, but perhaps Michel decided to show some mercy at this point. Shortly thereafter, it was the German-based midfielder to once again beat Ghana’s offside trap, tipping it past the hard-charging Kingson, then touching it softly over the goal line for Brazil’s third and final goal of the match.

Each team would manage a few more scoring opportunities as the action would go from end to end. Brazil probably should’ve done better on a couple of their chances, but an unwillingness to share the ball with the outcome already determined, it didn’t really matter anyway.

In the end, Brazil did what they needed to do against a very game side from Ghana. Despite losing 3 – nil against the reigning world champions, they should be very proud of their effort on this day and in this tournament. They have proven that they are a force to be reckoned with in the future.

And as for Michel, it’s hard to argue against his capabilities in a match with such gravity. But if he and his crew make it to the next round and beyond, I hope they don’t allow goals that should’ve been called offside…and vice versa. It’s a virtually impossible task, but then again, we do expect nothing less than absolute perfection from the men officiating these matches.

(written in the Albany, NY Airport while waiting for my flight to Atlanta after my travel itinerary the day before had been washed out by heavy weather along the East Coast)

Mexican referee Benito Archundia was the man in charge of Switzerland’s Round of 16 clash with debutants Ukraine in Cologne. And like Spain’s Medina-Cantelejo in the Italy-Australia match from earlier in the day, Archundia seemed to be on a mission to control the players without the use of his cards. It’s a method that fans and referees alike generally prefer, but not necessarily what FIFA’s Referees Committee has advocated throughout this tournament. The question is…would it work?

Many people believe that we’ve seen too many yellow and red cards at this year’s World Cup and I’m inclined to agree. I’ve always been taught that a referee should not let his cards be used to manage the players. And as we saw the other night, no matter how many cards Ivanov issued, the players would not respond.

Thus, Archundia resorted to a method that has probably always worked for him – engaging the players in dialogue and using positive body language (and a lot of smiles) to promote fair play amongst the participants. Perhaps FIFA will take a look at his performance in this match and use it as a model for how things should be dealt with in South Africa four years from now. Because this is how fans, players, AND referees prefer the game to be managed.

In any event, if you want to blame anyone for the record-breaking number of cards issued this year, blame FIFA. The referees have only been following their edicts.

Now, on to Switzerland – Ukraine:

To begin with, the Swiss would be without their stalwart central defender Phillippe Senderos who plies his trade for Arsenal. It had to make one wonder how the impregnable Swiss defense would hold up against Shevchenko and friends.

In only the 3rd minute of the match Archundia began what would be his 120-minute dialogue with the players when he had a few words with Kalinichenko after a foul. Five minutes later Sheva did a nice job to avoid contact with the Swiss keeper. It’s the kind of thing a referee likes to see.

A Ukrainian giveaway in the defense in the 13th would lead to a long-range effort that forced a corner kick. And then a few minutes later a Swiss player bowled over an opponent but only received a sideways glance from the ref.

The cardless trend would continue in the 20th when Djourou – another Swiss defender who plays for Arsenal – took down the swift striker Voronin. The ensuing free kick was headed down into the ground from close-range by Shevchenko, but the Swiss were saved by the crossbar after the ball bounded beyond the keeper. The play would end, however, with a foul against the Ukrainians.

Two minutes later Barnetta was clipped about twenty-eight yards from the Ukrainian goal…and still no cards. Frei’s nearly-perfect free kick slammed the crossbar about a foot to the right of the left goalpost and Barnetta’s rebounded shot was sent wide to the left. Both teams had dodged a bullet now in the past three minutes.

In the 25th Tymochuk was fouled from behind…no card. And while it certainly wasn’t terribly reckless, we most assuredly would have seen a caution by now for one of the fouls in this contest. A minute later it was Tymochuk’s turn to commit an offense from behind. And rather than report that again that there was no card, I’ll simply tell you that it wouldn’t be until the 59th minute that the only caution of the match would be issued.

After another Swiss foul in the 28th and a free kick was taken, Shelayev’s shot from eighteen was sent over the bar. In the 35th I was a little surprised that a late Ukrainian challenge didn’t result in a booking, but Archundia seemed to still have things well in control.

One of the ARs called a foul against the Swiss in the 36th and in the 39th I noted that Archundia was practically invisible as he continued to let ‘em play. And two minutes later commentator JP Dellacamera was complaining that he was worried things would get out of hand if the referee continued with his strategy after a Swiss player committed what seemed to be a bookable offense. But again, the players had not really shown that they were losing their cool and I think that no matter what the referee does people will always be critical. Archundia was sticking with his game plan and I commend him for having faith in his abilities and the players.

Moments later at the other end of the pitch a Ukrainian made a hard challenge to win the ball, but it was fair and neither the ref nor his AR made a call as play continued to flow in a rather entertaining fashion. Two minutes later one of the ARs set the ball and managed the wall for a Swiss free kick while Archundia awaited the free kick from the proper position near the top of the far side of the penalty area.

A Swiss foul in the back during stoppage time and then the half would end without a goal. I noted that perhaps the referee might need to issue an early card in the second half to assert his presence. But it would be almost a quarter-hour until that would occur in the 59th.

Leading up to that, Voronin’s header went wide from twelve in the 46th, Hakin Yakin committed a little trip from behind in the 49th, Archundia had sharp words for Barnetta in the 53rd after he committed a foul and then let the ref know what he thought of that decision, and Kalinichenko stuck a leg in where it didn’t belong in the 54th.

Things were still well in control, but finally in the 59th Archundia decided the time was right when Barnetta gave a little shove to an attacking Ukrainian as he drove towards the penalty area just beyond the arc. On the kick, a Swiss player in the wall had his hand in front of his face and that’s where the ball struck…ball-to-hand…no call.

In the 62nd a Ukrainian player was slightly injured when his challenge resulted in a Swiss player stepping on his leg, but the advantage was correctly played (not that it was necessarily a foul anyway).

One of the few bad decisions of the match came in the 67th when the AR should have waved a flag when Sheva brought the ball down with his upper arm. After he got away with cheating, the shot went wide. But two minutes later there was no missing Voronin’s deliberate attempt to bring down a ball with his arm as Archundia was directly in front of him.

In the 72nd it seemed like Frei had gotten bowled over, but no call was made. I’ll give Archundia the benefit of the doubt on this one as he had a good angle and the camera did not.

A minute later the Swiss won a free kick when one of its players had his legs swept out. This looked like a cautionable offense but Archundia seemed on a mission to set himself apart from Ivanov. Still, I liked his style as the game had a good flow and nobody seemed to be losing his cool.

In the 74th Magnin protested for a call for Switzerland that he didn’t deserve as Archundia continued to enjoy himself – smiling as he communicated with the players. Five minutes later Barnetta came in late on a challenge and was lucky not to get his second caution. Archundia chose to have a few words with him instead, probably reminding him that he’d already been booked. Usually that’s all it takes to get a player to operate within the rules.

In the 81st both teams committed a foul and in the 84th there was a fair challenge near the touchline. A minute later was what appeared to be a hold or perhaps an obstruction in the Swiss penalty area, but maybe Archundia felt that it was going both ways as Voronin was doing some grabbing as well. In any event, I think it was the right call because a penalty on this would’ve been a very tough sell since the contact was marginal at best.

Finally, in stoppage time a Swiss cross went across the mouth of goal and the return ball was eventually punched away from danger. At the conclusion of the full ninety minutes without goals, Archundia was still seen smiling as thirty minutes of overtime approached.

In the 95th Frei took exception to a foul committed against him, but the ref calmed his temper. A minute later it seemed like there might’ve been a handball in the Ukrainian penalty area, but it was a Swiss hand anyway and the ball was quickly cleared.

Back at the other end the Swiss were awarded a free kick, but couldn’t convert and in the 99th there was a good no-call as Sheva went down. The European Footballer of the Year seemed to understand as play continued.

Each team had a chance to score in the next two minutes and in the 103rd minute we’d see the FIRST offside call of the match. I thought that was pretty incredible.

A minute later Harkes (the former US player who does a pretty good job commentating) thought the referee was letting too much action go unpunished. But on replay it was pretty clear that neither of two Swiss challenges should’ve been considered fouls. Archundia was having a masterful performance as the final fifteen-minute overtime approached.

In the 106th, the AR called a foul on Sheva and then a minute later the referee did a good job playing an advantage and then calling the initial foul after it didn’t develop. A foul for each team in the 110th and 111th minutes and two minutes later Magnin remonstrated to the AR to show him the foul that he believed he’d missed. Archundia wouldn’t have any of this showmanship and blew his whistle to tell the Swiss player to get on with his throw-in.

In the 114th fouls went each way…Ukraine had a nice build-up, but Rebrov’s shot was blocked. At the other end Streller’s shot was well-defended.

In the 117th only the Swiss player was involved in the drop ball as Archundia instructed him to kick it into touch and return it to the Ukrainians. This is how things should’ve been handled the day before when Ivanov allowed Heitinga to display his lack of sportsmanship.

A minute later Streller clearly accepted the referee’s decision at the top of his opponents’ penalty area when he was called for a foul. And the final act of the game was another drop ball, this time Ukraine returning to the Swiss.

In the end, the Swiss were unable to convert any of their three penalty kicks as Ukraine made three out of four. Switzerland would be the first team ever to bow out of a World Cup without ever conceding a goal.

But besides the victorious Ukrainians, the real winners on this day were fans of the game of football thanks to the wonderfully proficient work by Benito Archundia. There is very little that anybody could complain about regarding his performance – perhaps the very best of the tournament so far. FIFA are lucky to have him and hopefully they’ll reward him AND us with another chance to see him in action as the World Cup winds down to its inevitable conclusion in Berlin on the 9th of July.

Spanish referee Luis Medina-Cantelejo made two game-breaking decisions in yesterday's 1 - nil victory by Italy over Australia - one that went against the Azurri and one that went their way. Before delving into those two controversial decisions, let's break down the action from the kickoff to the final whistle.

We knew things wouldn't be easy for the Aussies as Liverpool midfielder Harry Kewell was on crutches to spectate the match with a groin injury. And early on it was Italy who had the better opportunities. Fouls were quickly called going both directions and in the 9th minute, I thought the referee set the tone for the match when a hard foul by Bresciano on Alessandro Del Piero was whistled, but did not produce a card. Perhaps this was the Spaniard's way of saying that he was going to call things his own way, keep an eye on the fouls, and issue cards somewhat more conservatively than we've seen throughout the tournament.

A few minutes after Chipperfield's defensive effort in the box, Marcelo Balboa was still griping about the US - Italy match as though it somehow had bearing on the action at hand. Moments later Chipperfield would make another hard, but clean challenge to win the ball.

Two minutes after that Balboa continued with his cheerleading by saying that everyone expected the Czechs, Italians, and Americans to make it out of their group - even though only two actually could - and that Ghana has shocked everyone. In actuality, I would've been more shocked had the Americans survived than the Ghanaians since their qualification was so much more difficult than ours. The fact that none of the so-called pundits, including Balboa, gave them any respect proves how little they really understand about the game.

In the 17th Viduka was rightfully called for a push and three minutes after that Balboa was still whining about Larrionda and "all those red cards". Dude...get over it. He's a far better referee than you ever were a player...and we won't even talk about your inane commentary or knowledge of the rules.

In the 21st the referee still hadn't produced any cards, but decided to have a few words with Gattuso after a hard foul. In all honesty, I do prefer this style of refereeing and employ it myself, but regarding the record number of cards issued at this tournament, I blame the dictates by FIFA. People lose sight of the fact that the referees are beholden to FIFA's Referees Committee in this regard and that they are under incredible scrutiny to perform as instructed.

In the 22nd, Schwarzer made a great leg save on Toni after a quick turn by the lanky Italian only ten yards from goal. A minute later the first caution was issued to Chipperfield...no, I mean Bresciano...er, actually it was Grella for...what, dissent? The network was showing a replay of Schwarzer's save so we never did really find out what Grella had done to deserve his booking.

Then it was Viduka's turn to head a free kick, but it was directly at Buffon from close range. In the next few minutes, with temps in the more moderate mid-70s in Kaiserslautern, I would note that Medina-Cantelejo was doing a good job allowing the game to flow but still also keeping the players honest. However, they seemed to have come to play, unlike the teams who had played the night before.

In the 29th, Italian defender Grosso was cautioned after he grabbed the Aussie attacker who'd beaten him along the touchline. Balboa finally understood why this is a bookable offense. One of his more knowledgable producers must have clued him into this aspect of things.

The Aussies shot one right at Buffon in the 30th...a hard, but fair challenge by a Socceroo in the 32nd...and then a good call not to flag Toni for offside even though it appeared in real time as though he might have been. Two Italian opportunities came of that play but amounted to nothing in the end.

In the 37th the referee made what I thought was his first incorrect call of the game as Grosso seemed to have fairly shouldered Bresciano for the ball as they both applied an equal amount of force, but it was the Aussie who ended up on the turf. Balboa and I agreed for a change on this one.

In the 39th the referee allowed an Aussie player to defend with the sole of his foot - a decision I liked since he came nowhere near his opponent with his studs. Two minutes later Cahill committed a pretty hard foul on Gattuso and wasn't booked as Medina-Cantelejo seemed pretty content to allow a fair amount of physicality in this one.

Moments later I agreed with Balboa AGAIN! Moore did win the ball but then went right through Toni on the follow-through. I forget if the foul was even called, but it should have also been a caution for the Australian defender for his reckless play. Getting to the ball first doesn't necessarily mean that you're allowed to do whatever you want as a player.

So as the first half ended scoreless, it was clear that the referee was allowing the players to play. Only two cards had been issued and it seemed like we'd be in for a real treat in the final forty-five minutes.

In the 49th Cahill was angry about being called for foul on an aerial ball. Maybe he got a slight elbow in there, but was it really worthy of a booking or was the referee just trying to tighten things up as the match was headed for a photo finish?

A minute later, the Socceroos quickly countered on the left side of the field and the defense was a little flat as Bresciano surged towards the penalty box. With two defenders challenging him on either side, Bresciano's teammate at Parma - Marco Materazzi - made a sliding challenge and got none of the ball about twenty yards from goal. Without hesitation, the referee pulled the red card from his pocket and sent Materazzi off the pitch.

And in all honesty, I thought this was a pretty harsh decision. First off, he wasn't the last defender as Bresciano still would've had to beat Gianluca Zambrotta who was on his left shoulder. Sure he wasn't on the goal side of the attacker, but the Italian was still right there with him regardless.

And in light of how Medina-Cantelejo had been fairly lenient with cards throughout the game, this challenge could hardly be seen as serious foul play. But a few minutes later that's what announcer Dave O'Brien said it had been adjudicated to be. Pretty harsh in my estimation as it seemed more reckless than malicious or dangerous.

On another related point, Marcelo Balboa informed us that it wasn't even in the penalty box (which is true), thus implying that it shouldn't been a red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity as the last defender. However, it doesn't really matter where such a foul happens on the pitch for it to be a sending off offense of this nature. It could even be on the other end of the field if the defense pushes way forward and their opponents get a quick counter-attack.

But that's irrelevant for the purposes of the discussion. I just bring it up to properly inform people who might believe that Balboa has a comprehensive understanding of the rulebook.

So now with the Aussies up a man with about forty minutes left to play, they began mounting more threatening attacks. Buffon parried away a Chipperfield blast in the 59th. Two minutes later Wilkshire was cautioned for a late, but not terribly reckless challenge.

In the 64th Gattuso stripped Cahill - no call, good call - but the Italian counter-attack failed. Then Del Piero was tripped in the 65th and Pirlo's free kick forced Schwarzer to tip it over the bar.

A minute later the referee played the Aussie advantage that amounted to nothing. In the 70th, one of their players would be whistled for a foul for taking out Pirlo and a minute after that Bresciano was whistled for a bit of a hipcheck that looked worse in real-time than it really was.

In the 76th, Viduka showed his studs as Buffon barely cleared the ball away after a difficult back pass was played to him. The foul was called. And a minute later Gattuso was called for a push against Culina as the referee now seemed to be tigthenting things up for the final quarter-hour of the match.

In the 79th Totti ended up on the turf when he cracked a shot into the foot of Chipperfield, who had it well defended. It seemed like a fair play to me, but the referee thought otherwise.

Buffon misplayed a ball played back to him that barely went out for a corner...nice call by the AR. Cahill headed the kick over the goal from close range.

Recent entrant Aloisi was rightly called for a push in the back of an Italian defender down in the penalty area in the 82nd. Australia would then have a couple of thwarted opportunities including when Buffon pounced on the ball at Viduka's feet.

In the 86th, Aloisi went down outside the penalty area, the ref rightfully allowed play to continue, the ball then fell to Viduka whose shot went wide left.

At the other end now Iaquinta had an opportunity but it was right at Schwarzer. Then in the 88th I though Lucas Neill had committed a foul right in front of the AR, but no flag was raised and there was also no whistle - perhaps both officials expected the other to make the call. And then out of frustration Gattuso stopped the counter-attack by knocking Chipperfield off the ball. He was cautioned for this after a bit of argy bargy with Aloisi who came in to defend his defender.

Then...well...I had a bit of technology situation as I was watching the match about ten minutes behind everyone else. So as my dvr (digital video recorder) began recording the next program on ESPN, I was immediately transported to real time and the post-game report.

What? What had happened? Did somebody score?

Moments later I would see the replay of Lucas Neill's foul on Grosso in the penalty box. And by no means was it reckless or dangerous, but it was certainly a foul nonetheless as his body took the attacking Italian out of the play. Totti slammed the penalty kick past Schwarzer to give the Italians the slim 1 - nil victory in the game's dying moments.

It's a tough way to lose to be sure, especially when you've been up a man for most of the half. But to this I would say two things: 1) The Aussies should've scored when they had their chances, and perhaps more pertinently to Neill's foul, 2) Why, Lucas Neill did you go to ground and put the referee in a position to make that call on you? Of course a decision like that will always be controversial, regarless of what the referee decides, but by taking the course of action you did, it was YOU who cost the Socceroos a spot in the quarterfinals and not the referee. His call, after all, was correct in this instance and that penalty decision falls squarely on your shoulders.

It's a tough way to bow out of the World Cup, but on this day, the Italians proved to be the better team. They managed to stay in the game despite losing a man and came out on top in the end.

Until next time...

peace,ac

p.s. Because I am off to Germany later this afternoon, you will have to wait a day or so for my reportage on the three remaining Round of 16 matches. Thanks for your patience.

Well, it's probably safe to say that Valentin Ivanov's World Cup is now over as he seems to have crashed out in the Round of 16. No doubt, this is a game he'd rather forget, but certainly never will. And while he's definitely at fault for what was a fiasco by any viewer's account, I also place blame with many of the game's participants for losing their cool.

Still, as nightmarish as this might have been for Ivanov, it was incredibly dramatic stuff as the cards came at a record-setting pace the further the match progressed. In all, sixteen cautions were issued by the conclusion of the game; and eight of those went to the four players who would also be sent off - two for each team. And as the final seconds of the six minutes of stoppage time ticked away at the end, who could ever forget that shot of Barcelona teammates Deco and Gio Van Bronckhorst as they sat together like a couple of school kids who'd been sent to the corner for misbehaving. I'm sure they'll have a lot to talk about when training camp starts next month.

But let's see how things got so out of hand. After all, Ivanov seemed to be on a mission to keep things tight from the get go as little more than a minute into things he issued a caution to Van Bommel for a late clip after he'd been beaten. Of all the game's sixteen yellows, I thought this one was the softest, but I guess it was just the Russian ref's way of clamping down on things early.

Just five minutes later it was Boulahrouz's turn when he came in very late with his foot up and sunk his studs into Cristiano Ronaldo's fleshy inner thigh. Harkes thought that had this been a little later in the game it might've been a red card and I'm inclined to agree. He really got Ronaldo good and was lucky to still be on the pitch only seven minutes into it.

But as tight as Ivanov seemed to be calling things, he'd also let stuff go too - like a Van Bommel challenge on Deco that went unpunished at around the ten minute mark. Five minutes later, Ronaldo was receiving further treatment for his battered leg and it seemed like he might not make it much longer.

In the 17th Robben was called for hardly even touching Miguel, but I guess Ivanov was back to calling things extra-tight again. Consistency was starting to be a factor as it became unclear what was going on inside his head.

A couple minutes later the ref played the advantage for Holland, but when Van Persie went down to end the attack, the ref wouldn't buy it. As things slowly began to slide towards the abyss for Ivanov, the ref had the opportunity to rein things in a bit when he booked Maniche for a challenge to the back of Van Bommel. He did correctly wait until after the Dutch advantage had concluded and the ball was turned over.

In the 22nd the AR mad a good call in Portugal's favor. And as a result of that decision, the ball would remain in the Dutch end until the ball was eventually worked into the box. Pauleta layed it off to the recently-booked Maniche who then found some space and fired it just inside the near right post from about fifteen yards.

The Dutch, now feeling a sense of urgency, would become more attack-oriented. Kuyt would show some anger in the 30th when he was called for a handball. And perhaps this didn't warrant a card, but maybe Ivanov could've had a few words with him to prevent the Dutchman from boiling over.

A minute later Costinha was deservedly booked for a studs-up tackle on Cocu. And shortly after that Ronaldo departed the match, unable to continue as a result of the leg wound he'd suffered from that reckless challenge by Boulahrouz in the seventh minute of the game.

In the 39th minute I really thought Costinha deserved his second caution for a late challenge on Ooijer, but the ref missed it. And then in the 43rd the Dutch were offside, but a Portuguese defender came in like a crazy man with a high boot on Arjen Robben. This too deserved some kind of action...a stern lecture at the very least.

Van der Sar - in this, his 113th time playing for his country (breaking the record he'd previously shared with Frank de Boer) - made a great save on Pauleta who was all alone about seven yards from goal in the 45th minute. And then during stoppage time Costinha did the kind of thing you might find in rec ball - he knocked the ball out of the air with his hand near midfield. It was absolutely stupid and he deserved to hit the showers early for being such an idiot in this most-important of matches. Naturally, he was shown his second yellow and then the red right before the halftime whistle.

In all, five cautions had been issued in the first half, but we'd see more than twice that many in what was one of the craziest forty-five minutes of action I've ever seen - the second half.

Things started off well enough although Portugal were, of course, now down to ten men. In the 49th, Cocu crushed a volley into the crossbar from only seven yards out in what would have dramatically changed the complexion of the game had it gone in.

But it didn't, and recent entrant Petit was cautioned a minute later for taking down Van Bommel as the Dutch countered back into the Portuguese end. Both teams would have a chance or two in the minutes leading up to Giovanni Van Bronckhorst's 59th minute caution when he came in late on Figo. And while the referee was busy being the disciplinarian, the aggrieved Portuguese midfielder showed his temper by head-butting Van Bommel behind the referee's back.

Perhaps this is why the referee cautioned Figo a minute later as Van Bommel was now on the ground acting as though he'd been cracked with a lead pipe across his face. But you'd think with all that fancy shmancy high-tech headgear that the refs wear that they'd have taken more severe action against Figo's transgressions, which most certainly could have been construed as violent conduct - one of the seven sending-off offenses.

By only issuing a caution, it really seemed that things were really slipping away from Ivanov at this point. At the very least he should have insisted that Figo and Van Bommel shake hands and behave like adults. Instead, by simply hoping that the situation would improve, it only got worse.

Because only a few minutes later the Dutch would be reduced to ten men when Boulahrouz would rightly earn his second caution with an arm/elbow to Figo's face as they both chased a ball near the touchline. Definitely not as malicious as the one by De Rossi against the U.S., but most assuredly a yellow card offense.

And for a while things were end-to-end and the action was fierce. A break in the action was required, however, after Ricardo got injured making a save.

The stop in action didn't occur right then, though, as perhaps it should have. Instead, Ivanov allowed the Portuguese to try to counter-attack, only blowing his whistle to stop the play when Deco seemed ready to run through the entire Dutch defense who weren't sure why the referee had continued with the man down at the other end.

Now is where things take an ugly unsporting turn and I think Ivanov is complicit in the breakdown here. For as we all know, the proper restart for situation like this is a drop ball, but the unwritten rule is that the team who possessed the ball prior to the stoppage for injury should have the ball returned to them by their opponents.

There even seemed to be some confusion on this right before the drop ball as Figo let his opponents have it, expecting that they would then send it deep either to Ricardo over over the end line. That did not happen, however, and Johnny Heitinga began to race up the field with ball into the Portuguese end.

Had I been the man in the middle, I would've blown my whistle and insisted that the drop ball be taken again and that the Dutch players return it to the other side. Anybody above the age of twelve knows that this is just how it's done. And if they don't know that, then it's the referee's job to inform them about this bit of sportsmanship that you won't find in any rulebook.

Rightfully pissed about what was an obvious injustice and disgraceful act by the Dutch player, Deco came in with a heavy, reckless, slide tackle to take out Heitinga. Normally, a player might be sent off for what Deco did, but probably because he was more-or-less justified in doing this as a result of Ivanov's incompetence, only a yellow card was issued.

Naturally, there was quite a bit of argy bargy at this point and things really did seem like they'd gone beyond the tipping point. And since Van der Vaart came in with a hard shove to one of the Portuguese players, he too entered the referee's book in the 74th minute.

Two minutes later there were a pair of yellow cards for two different Portuguese players - first to Ricardo for wasting time and then one to Nuno Valente for a challenge from behind. Valente actually got the ball on this and it seemed pretty fair, but because he was behind the Dutch player who ended up on the turf, Ivanov basically had to continue throwing around cards in order to keep a semblance of order.

Two minutes after that - in the 78th minute - Deco grabbed the ball even though it was a Dutch free kick. He was deservedly shown his second yellow, but I thought Cocu probably should have been awarded one as well since he threw the Portuguese player to the pitch in an effort to get the ball from him.

Now, with the Dutch up a man again - 10 v 9 - Kuyt got a piece of Ricardo after being played onside and forcing a save from the Portuguese goalie. He would eventually recover and then in the 87th Van der Vaart was called for a handball. A minute later Van der Sar got a little extra after the Portuguese were called for offside. The Dutch keeper was pissed, but quickly restarted the match.

With six minutes of stoppage time - and memories of Spain's last-second goal in the 97th minute of a 1 - all draw against Bosnia in a World Cup qualifier last year when I was in Valencia - it was all Holland now. But they would be stopped time and time again against nine man Portugal. In the 93rd Kuyt was called for a foul on Ricardo and then out of sheer frustration in the 95th, Van Bronckhorst rightfully earned the SIXTEENTH yellow card of the match - his second - resulting in the fourth red card as well. The match would end just a minute or two later with only eighteen men left on the pitch.

In a game that most football fans had hoped would showcase some of the world's greatest talent, it was the referee who was center stage on this occasion. And unlike the USA - Italy match in which Jorge Larrionda actually kept things pretty well in control despite the three red cards, Valentin Ivanov had arguably one of the worst performances of his career as a FIFA official.

Frankly, I feel badly for him as I'm sure he knows that he let this one get away. Every referee's been there to some extent. But to be in the middle of such a meltdown as this at the World Cup must be the kind of thing that would make a referee want to never blow a whistle again. However, although I doubt we'll see him again in Germany, I'd be surprised if this is the last we see of Ivanov on the European scene.

It certainly wasn't the most entertaining of matches, but the English managed to make it through to the quarterfinals off a 60th minute free-kick strike by David Beckham. Belgian match official Frank de Bleeckere doled out three cautions in each half as Ecuador was simply unable to mount much of an attack in the late-afternoon Stuttgart heat.

There were quite a few fouls and offsides in the early going during this start-stop affair. In the third minute Carrick was fouled in his own penalty area and Marcelo Balboa's partner Dave O'Brien incorrectly believed it had been a handball against the Ecuadorean attacker, but the occasionally accurate Balboa informed the viewing audience of what had really transpired.

In the 11th minute it looked like Ecuador might take the early lead as the English defense gave the ball away in their own end. But just as Tenorio struck the ball Ashley Cole came in to save the day and the shot deflected off him and into the crossbar. O'Brien, apparently watching a different match, couldn't believe that Tenorio had "missed" the target. Dave, he missed it because Cole got a piece of it. It was quite clear in real time and on the replay, when he finally did correct himself.

In the 14th, Ecuador did well to challenge Rooney and win the ball in their penalty area. Four minutes later we'd see the game's first caution when John Terry's high kick caught his opponent. It was only England's fifth yellow overall in this, their fourth World Cup match.

In the 21st the English had a free kick from about thirty yards out and the wall was only about seven yards back, but perhaps the kicker didn't ask for the full ten. Ironically, Valencia would be cautioned three minutes later when he stood directly in front of an English free kick.

In the 24th, Tenorio came in pretty late on Joe Cole and then in the 25th it was Ferdinand who took a swipe at Delgado as things seemed to be getting more physical. De Bleeckere was willing to accept much of this without any negative repercussions for the players.

The ref missed it when Beckham got pushed off the ball in the 29th, but he was right on top of it a minute later when Hargreaves got nutmegged in the corner then obstructed and pushed his opponent off the ball.

Good no-call in the 32nd when Joe Cole went down and in the 37th Tenorio was booked for a late, reckless foul that was flagged by the Assistant Ref. A heavy challenge in the 38th resulted in an England advantage, but I was suprised de Bleeckere didn't come back to caution the offender after the play was over.

In the 40th I thought Rooney was pushed even though he embellished it a bit, but there was no call...and then the attack was snuffed out when the ball hit the hand of a sliding defender. The decision not to call a handball here was the right one as it didn't seem to be deliberate.

Hargreaves crawled off the pitch in the 44th after being injured, but then crawled back on by the corner. When Ecuador soon had a corner kick down there, the ref made Hargreaves and the England trainer move off the pitch and out of the way of the kicker.

The first half would end without a goal and without any major developments for the referee.

To start the second half, though, I thought Gerrard did get fouled at the edge of the box. The replay seemed to show it too and the Liverpool midfielder was livid about it.

A couple minutes later Rooney was called for a push in the back as his challenge wasn't quite shoulder-to-shoulder. As so often is the case, Marcelo Balboa disagreed with the Assistant Referee's decision, but he (the ref) seemed to get this one right.

Lampard got clipped after making a long pass and the call was correctly made. Then in the 51st Ecuador earned an advantage call in their own defense. De la Cruz wanted a card for the English player, but de Bleeckere wouldn't go for it. Marcelo Balboa seemed confused as to why the foul hadn't been called, but to do so would've taken away Ecuador's advantage.

In the 57th Rooney tried to force his way through two defenders in the Ecuador penalty area. He ended up on the ground and the no-call was the right call.

In the 59th an Ecuadorean blocked an English player about thirty yards from goal and slightly to the left of the left post. Beckham, who is most useful for his team in situations like this, curled it over the wall and just inside the near post and just off Mora's fingertips. He had now scored in three successive World Cups - the first English player to ever accomplish that feat.

Lampard appeared to get a nudge as he shot in the 65th, but no call was made. A minute later De la Cruz was cautioned for a handball that stopped an England attack. For a change, Balboa understood this decision by the referee.

Hargreaves put a little body on Tenorio in the corner and the foul was called. On this occasion, it might have been a situation where the Ecuadorean turned his ankle and fell on his own just as the slight contact was made.

Three minutes later, in the 72nd, Joe Cole was called for a foul that he clearly disagreed with, but the referee seemed to be doing a good job walking that fine line between calling a game too tight or too loose. Both teams would have a few opportunities but none would result in goals.

English keeper Paul Robinson was booked for time-wasting in the 78th, Ecuador would commit a couple of fouls, and then it was Carragher's turn to see yellow for trying to kill the clock in the 82nd. These kinds of cards are always a little tough in my mind, but then again, this is what FIFA has asked of these guys - more action and less bullshit.

There was a good no-call in the 90th when the ball hit the arm of an Ecuadorean defender, a foul on Castillo called by the AR down in the corner in stoppage time, an English offside, and then Aaron Lennon got shoved to close out this rather pedestrian affair.

Nothing of any real significance occurred in this match that should prevent the Belgian crew from officiating again at this World Cup. And I doubt many of you will have much to comment on either as it was a pretty tame affair in comparison to many of the previous matches at this year's tournament.

I guess there's always gonna be some controversy in every match. But maybe that's how fans like it. Unless they're on the losing end of things, of course.

Today's matches, by most accounts, were very well officiated. However, there were some notable blunders as well as high points and I'm prepared to share my opinions with you as usual.

It was Brazil's Carlos Simon in the middle as the Germans squared off against the Swedes in Munich. In only the 1st minute Simon was encouraging the players to relax after an early foul. Maybe the Scandinavian squad relaxed a little too much as just three minutes later it was Lukas Podolski picking up the pieces after Miroslav Klose did all the work to force a tough save by Isaksson (sp?).

Each team would have some missed opportunities before the Germans struck again in the 12th after Klose drew three defenders before dishing it off to Podolski who smashed home his second from just beyond the penalty spot.

Two minutes later Simon warns the players about grabbing just before a Swedish free kick into the penalty box. Another warning came just two minutes later.

In the 17th Balboa had no idea why a foul had been called on Edman; this even after he had the opportunity to view the replay showing the Swede kneeing Friedrich in the back.

Four minutes later Ljungberg was well defended, but he showed his disgust when the referee didn't give him a call.

Nice play by Simon in the 26th/27th. After allowing the Swedish advantage in which Torsten Frings slapped the ball out of the air (but directly to an opponent), the referee later came back to caution the German midfielder for his unsporting behavior. Balboa liked this too.

But a minute later he didn't like the caution for Lucic when his late tackle stopped a German attack. What Balboa still hasn't quite figured out is that the caution is sometimes not because of the actual severity of the foul, but because of the reason the foul was committed - to halt the quick counter. It's unsporting behavior...plain and simple.

Incredibly, Lucic committed almost the same exact type of foul seven minutes later and was flagged by the AR. Simon quickly arrived to show another yellow and then the red. Balboa was aghast, but Lucic seemed to understand. And how could he not after receiving a card for the same thing only a few minutes earlier. The referees have been pretty consistent on this at the World Cup, but Lucic never quite figured it out. Say what you want about Simon being trigger-happy, but when you've been cautioned, your play ought to reflect that. Testing the referee's limits is a foolish strategy and Lucic's actions cost Sweden big-time in this game.

And as for Simon's smile. Well, he was probaby grinning and saying something like, "Hey man, I didn't want to have to do this, but you've given me no choice." Plus, doesn't it really beat Markus Merk's angry demeanor?

And my last point about the first half is that the handball by Podolski in the 45th minute was not an offside as the announcers would have us believe. Sometimes I really wonder if they're watching the same game as the rest of us.

In the 48th a no-brainer yellow-card was issued to Jonson when he hammered Ballack from behind after the German midfielder distributed the ball. And then four minutes later and with his back to the goal, a German defender bumped into Henrik Larsson as we was about to collect a pass. Balboa tried to argue that it was a bad call, but I would say that it was irresponsible defending inside the penalty area. After all, what threat did Larsson really pose with his back to the goal. There was no reason for any contact at all. It was a foul...contact was made before the ball arrived and the defender never made any attempt to play the ball. Again, a no-brainer...unless of course you have no brain like Marcelo Balboa.

Larsson sent the penalty kick into orbit, anyway, thus proving that Balboa's assessment was correct, or so he'd like to think.

In the 57th there was a good no-call as Ljungberg was well defended in the penalty area. Six minutes later Podolski really should've played the ball out of touch rather than shooting on goal when a Swedish player was on the ground injured virtually at the young German's feet.

Good advantage for Germany in the 64th following a Swedish obstruction in the corner. A minute later an offside was called wrongly against Sweden as Wilhelmsson ran onto the pass from an onside position while one or two of his teammates would've been off had the pass found them and not their tattooed teammate.

In the 73rd Simon called a foul throw against Germany for moving too far up the line. And then a couple minutes later Borowski was briefly injured on a clean 50/50 challenge in the box.

Allback plowed into Friedrich in the 78th and rightfully was shown a card. Perhaps advantage could've been played, but I guess Simon wanted to deal with the foul immediately. Nobody seemed to mind this decision.

Ballack, Schneider, Neuville, and Klose would all have a number of opportunities, but none would score. In the 90th the AR and Simon disagreed when the ball went over the end line. I, too, thought it was a corner, but a goal kick was the restart.

It was all academic at that point anyway and in the game's dying moments Simon told Borowski to cool it after some words with Linderoth and a foul by the Swede.

In all, a very good outing for the Brazilian. He's never gonna please Marcelo Balboa, but then again, no referee ever will. However, as the available pool of top-tier officials slowly dwindles at this year's World Cup, it appears that Carlos Simon might be amongst those who are left standing.

Now on to Leipzig where Swiss referee Massimo Busacca took charge of the much anticipated Argentina - Mexico match. This guy may have had a questionable opening performance (to some of you...not me), but he's been pretty solid ever since.

Surprisingly, it was all Mexico from the beginning in this one as Busacca seemed intent to let the game flow. In the 5th minute, however, a foul was called on Mascherano for taking down Castro in Argentina's defensive third. The ensuing free kick was whipped about twenty yards where it was flicked with a head to the far post where defender and team captain Rafa Marquez was all by himself and one-timed it into the roof of the net from close range to give his team the early lead.

In the 8th minute Cambiasso was fouled about twenty-eight yards from goal and the free kick that followed would go out for a corner...and then another...and on that kick by Riquelme (on this his 28th birthday), Crespo was at the near post, but Mexican striker Jared Borgetti got more of the ball and headed it into his own net. Crespo celebrated wildly claiming the goal as his own.

In the 16th Busacca waited to see if the Mexicans would gain the advantage, and when they didn't, he called the original foul against their opponents. Three minutes later the referee wisely chose not to blow his whistle when a Mexican player seemed to hit the ground a little too easily.

In the 23rd Crespo was onside and should've done better, but Sanchez's rush from the goal forced the prolific striker to lob it wide of the goal. Four minutes later Busacca chose to keep his card in his pocket when Salcido's foul seemed potentially cautionable.

Everything was cruising along quite swimmingly as play settled down towards the end of the half. But in the 42nd and again a minute later Busacca had a few words for a player on each team about holding. However, it was during stoppage time that we saw the game's first card...and it could've been red. Heinze was lucky for Argentina; after slipping and losing the ball about thirty yards from goal he fouled the attacking Mexican player. It was a tactical move, and fortunately for Heinze, there was another defender in the vicinity...but off to the other side of the pitch. Had he been any further upfield or off to his right it would've been hard for to Busacca to sell the yellow and not the red. Argentina dodged a bullet on that one...but it was the right decision in the end.

There were some garden variety fouls to start the second half as players began to show a little frustration, but Busacca remained very calm throughout. The AR called a foul on Torrado in the 56th and then Argentina would have a number of opportunities go awry.

Ayala pleaded his case in the 61st. Marquez gesticulated in the 66th and a minute later Busacca had to tell him to give it a rest. Just a few minutes later and probably still somewhat agitated, Rafa whacked Crespo from behind. It wasn't difficult to decide to caution Marquez for this unnecessary act.

Borgetti was allowed to vent in the 71st after catching a bit of an elbow that Busacca either didn't see or didn't think was much of a foul. Fonseca was correctly called for a handball in the 76th, something he seems to do as frequently as Drogba.

In the 78th, the AR made a terrible call against Tevez for being offside. This one wasn't even close as he was on by at least a yard or two. Now, if you'll remember the Spain - Ukraine match, this is the same guy who called six offsides against Ukraine in the first half...four of which I thought were wrong. This one guy, unfortunately, brings down the entire crew. He mustn't be allowed to work any more games, even if that means leaving Busacca out of the mix.

In the 82nd, Castro was cautioned for kicking the ball away after Torrado committed a foul. Harkes and Dellacamera - the announcers that I have the least to complain about by far - took longer than they should have to figure out that the card wasn't for the foul, but rather for what Castro did after the whistle had blown.

A minute later Argentine right-back Scaloni probably deserved a caution for clattering into a Mexican player, but Busacca was being quite liberal on this occasion. Both teams would have a number of late chances and there was another late foul by an Argentine player that could've resulted in a booking, but there would end up being only three for the ninety minutes.

However, deep into stoppage time it looked like Messi had pulled a rabbit out of his hat as he latched onto a through-ball before slotting it into the middle for Tevez(?) to finish. But as the ball would enter the net the play would be whistled for offside. It was a travesty, though, as the replay showed that Messi was on. There was a defender at the top of the screen who he was even with. And although I'm sure the replay angle wasn't 100% spot on, that's my opinion. And assuming I'm correct, it's just one more example of why we need to eliminate this rule. I say, let attackers attack and make the defenders defend them. Let's see more goals and fewer controversial decisions. Maybe then we'd see a 5 - 4 result in the World Cup final.

But maybe that unjust decision was God's way of giving Maxi Rodriguez the opportunity to score his game-winning golaso in the 98th minute of the match. It could be the goal of the tournament as he received a cross-field pass from Sorin on his chest then volleyed the ball from the top right corner of the penalty area into the top corner at the far post. It was a thing of beauty.

But there were still another twenty-two minutes of overtime to play. And I thought that Messi was fortunate not to be booked in the 104th minute when he clipped Marquez. Overall, I thought that Busaccas was doing an excellent job keeping the game moving and allowing a bit of physical play.

But in the 112th a caution was the right call when Sorin took down Osorio near the corner after the Mexican had beaten him. They wouldn't score on this or any of their other remaining opportunities as two cautions were in the game's final few minutes - one finally for Torrado who ran Messi down from behind and another for Fonseca who kicked the ball away after he was correctly called for another handball.

I'd love to see Busacca continue working matches if his AR could stay at home, but that's an impossibility, so I think the tournament might be better off without the Swiss crew due to its one very weak link. I know it's harsh, but then again, this is the World Cup after all.

And speaking of which, that's exactly where I'm headed on Tuesday. I'll be staying with the creators of this website at their apartment in Berlin. And while I'm there I'll see what could be THE match of the entire tournament: Germany vs. Argentina. It should be a great one!

Well folks, maybe the reason people have so much animosity for referees in this country is because THE ANNOUNCERS WE LISTEN TO HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT!

Today I watched Ukraine - Tunisia followed by France - Togo. When I was done with the second match I fast forwarded through the Switzerland - Korea match to see the goals. No controversy on the powerful Senderos header, but thanks to a lack of understanding of the rules by both Tommy Smyth and his partner-in-crime Adrian Healey, the American audience probably wrongly believes that Switzerland were not deserving of their second.

They were and here's why.

While it might be true that the Swiss forward Alexander Frei was in an offside position when the ball was kicked to him prior to the goal, the ball was played backwards by a Korean defender who intercepted a square ball about thirty yards from goal. So by definition, Frei couldn't have been offside since he didn't receive the ball from a pass by a teammate. It's just about the most basic aspect of the rule. This, not to mention the fact that he actually was in an onside position when his teammate last touched it with the square ball.

And yet Tommy and Adrian didn't get it...they probably never will since they've never been referees. In fact, they thought that the play should've have been whistled dead just because the Assistant's flag was up - which it was for a moment until the AR realized that the ball had been played back by the Korean defender.

Fortunately, Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo never saw the quick flag and play continued. There was no whistle. So the Koreans and that ignoramus Tommy Smyth can cry foul all they want, but until they learn the rules they should all just stop their senseless whining.

Elizondo, by the way, is likely to be one of the candidates gunning for the final in Berlin.

Ok, now onto the games I actually did watch today. And while Paraguay's Carlos Amarilla had a solid game in the middle, he did bungle a couple of decisions that potentially flipped the outcome of this match. But as usual, I'll go through the key moments as I saw them.

In the 9th minute Amarilla made an outstanding decision to caution Jaziri for a dive in the box. As a result of this unsporting act he would've missed out on his team's next match had they advanced.

In the 16th Trabelsi was correctly called for obstruction and a minute later Sheva tried to win a call beyond the penalty area near the end-line. It wasn't a foul and probably not a dive either (as there had been a little contact), so no further action was necessary and none was taken.

In the 18th Sviderskiy (sp?) was cautioned for an arm to the back of a Tunisian head. Kind of a soft yellow, but maybe that was Amarilla's way of putting the players on notice.

In the 26th I noted that he was having a pretty good game...keeping both teams honest. And in the 35th he merely warned Ayari about dissent...no card. Yet neither of the announcers felt it was necessary to praise the referee for this.

In the 36th minute, we'd learn Spain had taken the early lead over Saudi Arabia in Kaiserslautern with referee Coffi Codija of Benin in the middle. The goal was Juanito's first-ever in a World Cup.

In the 41st minute I noted to myself that Bouazizi, who was whistled for either his third or fourth foul of the match, would likely see yellow the next time that occurred. And as I expected, Amarilla did in fact caution him in the 43rd minute - not for the foul itself, but rather for Persistent Infringement, one of the seven reasons for which a player can be cautioned.

Shep Messing, who obviously knows nothing about PI - as we referees refer to it - felt fit to insist that this was a "ridiculous yellow card." To that I would ask our dear commentator how many fouls a player should commit before he's booked for persistent infringement. Because, in general, four or five is about the norm. More than that and you've allowed this player to get away with too much. He's proven that he'll continue to commit fouls unless perhaps he's cautioned.

In stoppage time Amarilla played a great advantage for Ukraine that almost resulted in a goal from about thirty-five yards out. After the ball had been tipped over the bar by the keeper, the referee then came back to the player who committed the original foul about fifteen or twenty yards from midfield and booked him for the reckless late challenge from behind. It was Jaziri's second - the first came on his dive early in the game - and he was sent off right before the half. Messing, right on cue, insisted that this too was "ridiculous", but to me what's ridiculous is a player making a rash challenge like that when he already has a yellow card. (Eddie Pope come to mind anyone?)

In the 47th it was more of the same from the unknowledgeable Shep Messing. For after Shelayev swung his leg to deliberately trip Trabelsi from behind in order to stop a counter-attack, Amarilla booked the Ukrainian as well. Messing incorrectly informed the viewing audience that a yellow card should only be the result of some kind of "unnatural movement" by a player. I have no idea what the fuck that was supposed to mean, but it's just flat out wrong.

As I mentioned earlier, there are seven reasons a player can be cautioned - it's right there in Law 12 - and the catch-all is called Unsporting Behavior. In Shelayev's case, his foul was unsporting for a number of reasons - because it was blatantly deliberate, from behind, and specifically done to stop a counter-attack. This "unnatural movement" business is just RIDICULOUS Shep.

At the fifty minute mark twenty-nine fouls had been whistled - eighteen against Tunisia. That, combined with a very defensive posture by the team with eleven men was creating a very dull game indeed. That is, of course, except for the random bits of lunacy coming from the color analyst.

In the 54th Amarilla allowed a nice advantage for Ukraine, but the play would be halted with an offside by Shevchenko. Another good advantage by Amarilla a minute later and then two minutes after that there was an excellent defensive play made on Tunisia's Trabelsi. Shep Messing, now disagreeing with the referee just because, obviously didn't see that Trabelsi had shown too much of the ball as he tried to squeeze between two defenders before it was swiped away from him. What Messing thought was a foul was, in fact, was the Tunisian tripping over the defender who got none his opponent's leg and only got ball.

Three minutes later Amarilla ran across the field to let Trabelsi know that he'd heard enough and must get on with things without further complaint. Shortly after that it was Tymoschuk who was booked, not because the foul itself was overly reckless, but rather, because he'd been beaten and committed the foul (from behind) to stop a counter-attack. But Messing, having never been a referee, still didn't quite get the purpose of the yellow card.

In the 65th it was Rusol's turn to see yellow as he came in from behind. Silence this time from the peanut gallery as we'd learn that the Ukrainian would be suspended should his team advance.

Now is where Amarilla's solid performance took a bit of a hit I'm sorry to say. And on this point I'm in agreement with Shep Messing for a change. As Tunisia took a free kick from about twenty-five yards out, Voronin jumped up with his arm above his head, the ball hitting it and deflecting over the end line for a corner after also hitting a teammate's head in the wall. And frankly, if Amarilla saw it, which he should have, then a penalty should have been awarded. There's no way you could argue that it was ball to hand in this case because Voronin's hand had no business being up above his head like that. It really should have been a Tunisian p.k. pure and simple.

Then, only three minutes later, there was a defensive blunder by the Africans that allowed Sheva to go in towards goal, but he misplayed it and lost his opportunity - going too deep and to the right of the goal. Recognizing his own blunder, the crafty striker threw his right toe into the heel of his left foot, thus making it look like a trip as he crashed to the turf. The "foul" was called and the penalty converted.

In real time it looked pretty good, but the replay was quite clear and perhaps good evidence for those who support instant replay to aid referees in such important decisions. Although it will never be used for anything but the highest level matches, I now recognize that there is a need for it (video replay) on a VERY limited basis.

Frankly, a great player like Shevchenko should be ashamed of himself and I think that FIFA should be able to sanction players after the match for so callously bringing our game into disrepute like this.

And in defense of Amarilla, these are really tough to catch sometimes, especially where Sheva was - out of range of the AR and also with the defender blocking the referee's view as he was likely situated near the top of the penalty area to the left of the arc. But it was the wrong call nonetheless and there's no one to blame except for the referee...and, of course, the player who tricked him into making the bad call.

After that there really wasn't much else to report from this otherwise dull affair. Jaidi was cautioned in the 90th minute for bowling over an opponent after getting tangled up with him...perhaps the one caution of them all that was the least necessary.

And lastly, Messing pointed out that the referee needs to "be consistent", which I felt he actually he was. Unfortunately, however, the two major calls that he got wrong in this game should have resulted in a 1 - nil victory for Tunisia and not the other way around.

Now on to the France - Togo match from Cologne where it was Uruguay's Jorge Larrionda in the middle. Who could forget this guy? He was, after all, the referee responsible for the two red cards issued to American players in their 1 - all draw with Italy. (You can't see me right now, but my tongue is planted firmly in cheek.)

Former U.S. defender and the announcer who is only second to Shep Messing in terms of how annoying he is - Marcelo Balboa - was incredulous that Larrionda was given another opportunity by FIFA to referee a match at the World Cup. In fact, as it turns out, FIFA - like me - actually praised Larrionda's performance; something they have not done for every referee so far.

France needed a victory to move on in the tournament and were on the attack in the early going. And in the 5th minute I thought Claude Makelele was a little lucky not to earn a caution for scissoring an opponent on a challenge. It really wasn't all that bad, but considering how "awful" a referee Larrionda is you would've expected him to perhaps toss out the French midfielder.

In the 14th minute David Trezeguet appeared to give France the early lead, but he appeared to be just barely ahead of the ball. Balboa's right, even is on, but if any part of your head, body, or feet are in an offside position, then the player must be ruled off. Not to mention, the camera angle on this replay wasn't even with the second-to-last defender, so Balboa should be a little more forgiving to the Assistant Ref.

By the 21st minute I was getting tired of the announcers saying French defender Mikael Silvestre's last name incorrectly. After all, isn't it their job to say names properly? Now unless all those guys on Fox Soccer Channel have been wrong all these years, I believe his name is pronounced sil-VEST, not sil-VEST-ree. Proper pronunciation is just a pet peeve of mine and every time Balboa and his partner anglicized his name I couldn't help but cringe.

Moments after we'd learn that Senderos had given Switzerland the early lead against Korea, Marcelo Balboa continued to rip into Larrionda, even when he agreed with his decisions. Get over it Balboa...the guy actually knows what the hell he's doing.

In the 26th I thought Larrionda made a great no-call when a Togolese player won the ball in the box from one of his opponents. A minute later Henry was rightly called for a heavy shoulder charge the same as had gone Ribery's way about ten minutes earlier. But in the next minute Henry would seemingly get away with what looked like a foul then pass it to Ribery who cracked it over the crossbar.

Finally, with a third of the match now complete, we would see the game's first caution to Claude Makelele for a late foul that stopped a Togo attack - the same kind of foul that Shep Messing chided Amarilla for in the match I'd watched earlier. Like his colleague, Balboa also could not understand why a card was issued, but to anyone who knows the rules of the game it was obvious. Balboa thought that a verbal warning would have been the proper remedy, but as it turns out, a caution is a warning - behave yourself or your team will play shorthanded without you. It's what FIFA has asked of the referees at this World Cup and there seems to be a fair level of consistency on this point throughout all of the matches so far.

In the 32nd Larrionda insisted that a couple players stop their grabbing prior to a French corner...Trezeguet snuffed again...and a few minutes later Henry is called for offside. It was a close one, but he appeared to be leaning forward past the plane of the last defender, however, it was impossible to know for sure from the camera angle. Nevertheless, it didn't stop Marcelo Balboa from berating the Assistant Referee.

In the 36th I was at odds with Balboa once again when he, for a change, actually agreed with one of Larrionda's decisions. On the play in question it appeared that the Togo defender, while playing the ball first, actually clattered into Trezeguet in the aftermath. It wasn't all that bad, but to me was a situation where getting the ball before the man could still have resulted in a foul. No big whoop as there are always bound to be some differences of opinion on judgement calls like this.

In the 38th, Aziawanou (sp?) was cautioned for a late challenge and Balboa actually conceded that the referee is at least consistent in this regard. In the 39th, Agassa made a spectacular save and then grabbed the ball before Trezeguet could pounce on it. I'm not sure if the AR's flag ever went up, but I'm pretty sure the French striker was in an offside position when the shot was taken, and therefore, the goal should not have counted if he had been able to poke the rebound in the net.

The final act of the first half came in the 44th minute when Togo player Mamam was cautioned when he prevented a French midfielder (Vieira, I believe) from dribbling away from him as he had both arms around his opponent's waist. Balboa thought that, too, was a good call. And maybe...just maybe Jorge Larrionda is a pretty competent referee - or at least appears as such when the players aren't doing things that force him to pull out the red card.

After the break, in the 47th minute, it was the Assistant Referee (not "sideline official" as Balboa calls them) who called a foul in favor of Ribery. And then in the 50th minute it was Barthez with a one-on-one save on Adebayor, but he'd already been flagged for offside anyway. On this one, I thought maybe Balboa was right and the AR wrong as the camera angle was right on line and seemed to indicate that Adebayor was even. Get rid of that useless rule and we'll have a much more attack-oriented game with fewer refereeing errors.

In the 55th, two minutes after Ribery should have given France the opening lead, it was Patrick Vieira who calmly collected the ball about fifteen yards from goal after Ribery did all the work, then spun and curled the ball around the keeper to the far post. Happy 31st birthday to him!

Only six minutes later it was Henry's turn as he collected the ball inside the box off a Vieira header then finished with aplomb from the penalty spot. It should be noted that Vieira was hammered just beyond the penalty area after nodding the ball to his teammate and Larrionda played the advantage. This, however, was not mentioned by your humble announcers. As far as I was concerned, Larrionda was pitching a nearly perfect game.

In the 64th, Henry wanted a handball his way when the ball seemed to have hit a Togo player's hip and hand at the same time. It was marginal, and like Balboa said, "you're just not gonna get calls like that."

In the 68th Trezeguet was played onside by Vieira but Agassa beat him to it. Another good decision to keep the flag down for offside two minutes later as France was still on the attack.

Then out of nowhere in the 73rd minute, in a match with very few cards or controversy, Marcelo Balboa decided it was time to criticize ALL of the World Cup referees and their penchant for issuing too many yellow cards. Dude, get over it. Let the refs do their job and you go on doing yours - as poor as you might be at it. I wish I had the opportunity to go on t.v. and tell millions of people how inept Balboa, Messing, and Tommy Smyth really are. I'm sure that people who really understand the game already know it, but it's the relative novices out there who might actually believe the blithering nonsense that these guys continuously spew.

In the 78th, as Vieira was lying prone on the ground after getting poked in the eye, we'd learn that the Swiss had scored their second against Korea. It was the goal referenced above that left Tommy Smyth completely bewildered.

In the 80th Trezeguet was just barely off...even Balboa agreed for a change. And then a few minutes later when his partner asked him his take on Larrionda in this match, Balboa begrudgingly admitted that "he's done a decent job", but still couldn't help himself by calling him a "Quick draw McGraw" in reference to the U.S. - Italy match. And as I referenced earlier, it was the players in that match who put him into a position where those cards were the proper remedy for the offenses committed. As anyone could see from watching this match (FRA-TOG), he only booked players for things that were justified.

Like I was just saying...Salifou deserved his caution in the 88th minute...for DISSENT Marcelo. The idiot announcer thought that the card was for the challenge the Togo player had made that caused Larrionda to blow his whistle. But anybody could see that he wasn't going to pull his card out until Salifou started screaming at the referee.

The extremely non-controversial match would end a few minutes later without any further incident with France squeaking through to the next round behind their neighbors Switzerland in Group G. And at this point I'd like to apologize for my non-stop assault upon the announcers who have been so unfairly foisted upon an unwitting American public. But I'm of the firm belief that their lack of understanding of the game that they purport to know is doing our nation's soccer-playing community a great disservice. By listening to these buffoons - people who most of us would otherwise believe are credible sources of information regarding a sport that they either played or have commentated on for decades - we are misled regarding the interpretation of the Laws of the Game. If ESPN/ABC really cared about the truth - regarding soccer at least - they would include referees in their broadcasting booths. But I'm not holding my breath waiting for that day to come.

It was one of the tournament's most highly-touted officials in charge of the match which would likely decide second-place in Group F. England's Graham Poll was the man in the middle for a cross-cultural rivalry of sorts for the encounter between Australia and Croatia - the Australians with six players of Croation descent (including Mark Viduka) and three Croatian players who were born in Australia.

Harry Kewell was in the lineup for Australia despite verbally assaulting German referee Markus Merk at the conclusion of his country's 2 - nil loss to Brazil over the weekend. Merk had told him at the time that "your World Cup is over", but apparently FIFA decided to let Kewell off the hook after concluding that Merk's performance had been filled with "inconsistencies".

In only the game's second minute Poll called a foul against Australia when he could've played the advantage, but I agreed with Poll and not Tommy Smyth (as usual) that Croatia didn't gain much advantage on the play as the player with the ball had his back to the goal near the top corner of the penalty area.

The ensuing free kick from 27 yards by Srna curled over the top of the wall and into net beyond the reach of back-up Australian goalkeeper Kalac - who hardly gets any playing time at all behind Brazilian Dida at AC Milan. Even after the goal went in Tommy Smyth continued to argue that he believed that advantage should have been played. At this point, he would've been wise just to let the viewing audience forget about that earlier opinion.

In the 6th and 7th minute of the match, Viduka seemed to get shafted on a couple of decisions, but the second was a travesty whereas the first might've been correct. For Viduka got manhandled as he backed into a defender, but it was he who initiated the contact and was called for the foul. However, a minute later, and with that decision still fresh in Poll's mind, Viduka was once again assaulted, but this time it was in the penalty box near the end line, but on the side closest to the Assistant Referee.

The defender had an arm around Viduka's waist, which prevented him from reaching the ball as it went out of play. Poll - who smiled as if to say he thought Viduka was embellishing - waved to the Middlesborough striker to get up and play on. Now, perhaps Poll didn't have a good view of things from his angle, but the Assistant surely did and he should have raised his flag and wiggled it a bit to call the foul before making his way to the corner flag to indicate that the proper restart would be with a penalty kick.

But that's not what happened and the Aussies would be denied the opportunity to even things up at a goal apiece. Two minutes later, however, Viduka benefited from a far less significant call as he appeared to be just slightly offside...but the flag never went up for that either.

In the 14th and 19th minutes the Referee' Assistants called Australia for fouls at opposite corners of the pitch as Australia was now doing most of the attacking but getting very few good scoring opportunities. In the 30th, however, Cahill pounded a header right at the keeper and then Harry Kewell forced a save with a thumper from twenty-five.

The game's first caution was issued in the 32nd minute when Simic threw the ball away from Kewell after he'd been called for a foul. Again Tommy Smyth showed his ignorance when he couldn't understand why the Croat had been booked. Gamesmanship like that simply isn't tolerated any more in today's modern game as it rightfully shouldn't be.

Two minutes later we would learn that Japan had taken a shocking opening lead against Brazil in Dortmund with Frenchman Eric Poulat in the middle. It looked like the Japanese result might have an impact on the group if the result would stand, which seemed very unlikely.

In the 36th, Viduka was inside the goal area, but he couldn't latch onto the ball and thus, was never able to pull the trigger. But two minutes later Australia was rightfully awarded a penalty kick as Tomas threw a hand up into the air to hit the ball as he (or was it someone else?) held Cahill down to prevent him from reaching the cross with his head. Igor Tudor was cautioned for dissent prior to the kick, which was converted by veteran defender Craig Moore to even things up at one goal apiece.

Two minutes later it seemed as though Australia were about to gift a goal back to Croatia as Kalac mishandled a corner kick - almost knocking it back into his own net. But it wouldn't have counted anyway as the ball swung out of bounds on the initial kick from the corner. Both Tommy Smyth and Adrian Healey were confused by this, thinking that Kalac had been fouled, but it was obvious by the reaction of the defenders that they had spotted the AR's flag which was out of the frame of action. This is yet another example of why the broadcasts could benefit from having a referee in the booth - to explain the unusual nuances of the game to the gentlemen who've only played, coached, or talked about the sport for their entire lives.

A couple minutes before halftime Dado Prso had an opportunity from a tough angle at only about ten yards from goal, but it missed the target altogether. And then as the intermission drew near, we would learn that chubby Ronaldo had brought things back to level terms in Dortmund.

In the 51st, Tim Cahill was fouled late, but the offender was not booked. It seemed that Poll was content to have a hands-off approach and let the players play while also doing what he needed to do in order to manage the contest.

For example, after an Australian foul in the 53rd, Croatia tried to restart things quickly, but Poll made them retake it and put the ball at the spot of the foul. AGAIN Tommy Smyth misunderstood the referee's intent as he thought the kick had to be retaken because the ball was still moving. Sometimes I wonder if the match at hand is the first time he's ever seen the game, but I know I've suffered through his broadcasts dozens of times before, so I know that cannot be the case.

Unlike the domineering and grumpy-looking Merk, Poll smiles a lot and also allows the players to do a great deal more grabbing in the box off corners. As I noted that on my pad, Brazil would take the lead for good against Japan by scoring their second in the 54th minute.

A minute later, I felt like Srna was awarded a foul he might not have deserved and then gestured to Poll to issue a card. He should've just been grateful that he even got the call and kept his mouth shut. But that's just the players' way of trying to get inside the ref's head.

In the 57th minute Australian keeper Kalac would, in fact, allow Croatia to retake the lead when a long-range effort by Kovac that he should have easily saved bounced off his arms/chest and over his now prone body before rolling gently into the goal. Absolutely pathetic as the Socceroos would now be forced to chase the game and hope for a draw in order to make it into the Round of 16.

Soon thereafter Brazil would score their third...and then Simunic would receive his first (of THREE) bookings for holding Kewell about twenty-five yards from goal. The wall was only about seven or eight yards back, but maybe the Aussies didn't ask for distance, not that I can understand why that would be the case so close to goal.

In the 64th the AR called a foul on Babic that I thought he was fortunate not to be cautioned for. And two minutes later Viduka was wrongly called for offside when it was actually his teammate(s) not involved with the play that seemed to be in an offside position when the ball was played forward.

In the 70th, Croatian goalie Pletikosa was cautioned for time-wasting - technically known as "delaying the restart of play". Two minutes later he did a fine job preventing the ball from crossing his goal line during a scrum as he lied on the ground with his head on the line. It was a correct decision by the Assistant Referee not to allow a goal.

In the 75th, Tomas stupidly threw another hand up at the ball on a cross, but Poll somehow missed it and waved play on. Smyth ridiculously and rhetorically asked the question, "was it ball to hand or hand to ball." Hey Tommy, when your hand is above your head like that it's always hand to ball. Your hand has no business being there...plus, it's not like Tomas didn't have like two or three seconds to move his hand out of the way. You gotta stop saying such assinine things on the air. Your blithering nonsense makes my job harder when American players think you know what you're talking about.

In the 77th the AR called a foul on recent entrant Aloisi and two minutes later Australia would tie things up with a goal they probably didn't deserve. No, not that they weren't trying hard enough, but on this occasion, Tommy Smyth was - yes, believe it or not - correct in pointing at the Harry Kewell was probably in an offside position when the ball skimmed off of Josh Kennedy's head. Kewell would smash it into the back of the net from near the top of the goal box as he had all the time in the world (because his defender was on the wrong side of him, probably because Kewell had been offside).

I watched the play over and over again just to be sure, and while the camera angle wasn't the best, the grass lines on the field are quite helpful in determining things, and it really did appear that Kewell was offside. However, because the ball almost imperceptibly grazed off the top of Kennedy's head, it would've been nearly impossible for the AR - about fifty yards away at the time and with half-a-dozen or more players between him and the ball - from detecting this. To him, it probably looked like Kewell had received the ball directly from the initial cross - a pass from which Kewell had been onside when IT was made.

In any event, it's just one more example of why that rule should be expunged from the rulebook.

Ok, so now we're down to the final ten minutes of the match - it's 2 - 2 - and here's where things get really interesting and pretty crazy. In the 81st, Emerton gets booked for foolishly not giving the ball back to Croatia after he's called for a foul. And as a result of this - which he should've known before committing such a needless act - he would have to sit out the match against Italy should the scoreline hold.

Brazil would go on to score their fourth with a strike from Ronaldo, thus putting him in a tie for the all-time lead for scoring goals at the World Cup.

Now's where things get a little confusing - for me as well as for Poll. I'm not exactly sure what lead up to this, but in the 85th, Dario Srna grabbed Poll and the ref seemed livid as he probably told the Croat that he must be crazy for doing such a stupid thing. However, he ended up not getting booked - or so it seemed - and instead it was Simic who was shown yellow and then red for his second caution of the match.

After he departed, it was Brett Emerton's turn to hit the showers early as well after the Socceroo unwisely used his hand to stop a Croatian attack - receiving his second caution in only six minutes. Oh, and just before that it seemed like a Croatian attacker had been bumped as he took a shot inside the penalty area, but Poll apparently thought otherwise.

In the 90th an Australian player took a quick free kick, knocking it into the back of a Croatian player and losing possession in the process. At a time when they should be wasting time, they pulled a bone-headed move like that.

And talk about bone-headed moves, Simuvic would receive his second booking for something I didn't really see near midfield, but incredibly, he was allowed to stay on the pitch. You would've thought that one of the FIVE match officials might have said a little something to Graham Poll through that fancy headset they all wear in order to alert him of this unfathomable blunder.

But play would continue at a feverish pitch. In the 92nd Bresciano would commit a foul (or so it seemed) but the call would go HIS way. And with Australia doing all of the attacking now it was pure insanity as Poll called a foul against Croatia inside the penalty box just moments before the Aussies put it into the net.

And who knows what Simunic said to Poll at that point, perhaps something like, "you've really fucked this one up you fucking idiot", but perhaps maybe a little less colorful and with an Eastern European acccent I suppose. Or maybe somebody finally told Poll that Simunic had already been booked twice...so Poll showed him his third yellow card, then red, then blew the final whistle before the meaningless penalty kick, probably because he couldn't wait to get the hell off the pitch and out of the stadium.

One thing for sure is that it was a hell of an entertaining match, but one that Poll would rather forget, although I doubt he ever will. And quite possibly, this will likely be the last we see of the EPL's top referee until the league fixtures begin in August. But y'never really can predict the behind-the-scenes machinations of that enigmatic organization FIFA.